In an alternate universe, I’m an amazing singer with perfect pitch. I perform as a backup vocalist with big name acts from the 80s (Elvis Costello, James Taylor, Peter Gabriel, etc.) and this has allowed me to travel the world in style—experiencing adoring crowds and first-class hotels with anonymity. (Nobody recognizes a backup singer when they’re out on the street!) I am paid extremely well for this work and I use my extra money to buy a beach house with an in-ground lap pool overlooking the ocean.
Scour the news for an entirely uninteresting story. Consider how it connects to your life. Write about that.
I took this week off work and was planning to do fun “stay-cation” activities, but it’s pouring (again).
Therefore, the “entirely uninteresting” news story I chose to read was weather-related. It was about how two young quarterbacks deal with practicing in the rain at the New England Patriots training camp. Spoiler alert: they are both up for the challenge!
It connects to my life in that I could probably get up off the couch and do some yoga or something, given that Zappe and Jones are out there flinging wet footballs.
Some drivers don’t understand how intersections work. If traffic is so backed up that you’re going to have to idle in a crosswalk on the other side, don’t go. Wait until there’s enough room for your whole car, before heading across.
Last week I saw a blind student with a cane encounter a car blocking the entire width of a crosswalk in Boston.
Here are 10 things I know to be absolutely certain: 1. The universe exists. I am writing this, so I know that something exists. I can also see, hear, smell, taste, and touch things, which tells me that there is a physical world outside of my mind. 2. I exist. I am the one who is writing this, and I am experiencing the world through my senses. I am also capable of thought, feeling, and choice. 3. Change is the only constant. Nothing stays the same forever. The universe is constantly evolving, and so are we. 4. There is no such thing as absolute certainty. We can never be 100% sure of anything. However, we can still have a high degree of certainty about some things, based on our knowledge and experience. 5. The future is not predetermined. We have the freedom to make choices that shape our own future. However, our choices are also limited by the circumstances we find ourselves in. 6. There is good and evil in the world. We all have the capacity for both good and evil. The choices we make determine which side we will ultimately align ourselves with. 7. Love is real. Love is a powerful emotion that can bring us great joy and happiness. It can also be a source of great pain and suffering. 8. Death is inevitable. Everyone dies eventually. However, death does not have to be the end. Our souls may continue to exist in some form after our bodies die. 9. There is something more to life than this. The universe is a vast and mysterious place. There is much that we do not understand about it. However, I believe that there is something more to life than what we can see and touch. 10. We are all connected. We are all part of a larger whole. We are all connected to each other and to the universe.
Your ability to say “no” gets better with age. Pleasing people (parents, teachers, bosses) seems so important when you’re young, especially to oldest daughters. Being “nice” is paramount, and nice people don’t say no. The older I get, the more free I feel to decline that invitation to travel with someone who irks me, join a potentially contentious or time-consuming church committee, or even take on a work assignment that’s outside my job descripton. I’d rather be kind than nice, if you know what I mean.
Describe a decision you made in the past that helped you learn or grow.
In college, I made the decision to study abroad for the fall semester of my junior year. I can’t remember exactly when or how I decided to go to Italy, but I think it was because my small New England liberal arts college strongly encouraged everyone to GO AWAY and the easiest choice was to just go to their campus in Rome. This was fall of 1985 and there were no cell phones or laptops. We were like…really…ABROAD. Travelers checks, passports, guidebooks and one landline for the entire floor. It wasn’t always easy. I had bad allergies from some kind of pollen there and had to take a lot of antihistamines. And the first time I brought my clothes to a lavanderia, they put the bag in the dryer with my clothes and the plastic lining melted and ruined every single thing I brought.
But I’m so glad I went. It was a major growth experience for me. I learned that I actually could speak, even think and dream, in a foreign language. I developed my love of art and museums. And most of all, I gained confidence and a sense adventure. There’s nothing quite like the excitement of cities, foreign cities, explored with other young friends and travelers. Everything and anything seemed possible then.
Semester abroad pals and me (far left) in a Paris hotel in the fall of 1985
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