Gratitude Tag

More answers to more random, sometimes frustrating questions. Consider yourself tagged.


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1. If every job paid $50,000 a year, and you had no physical or mental limitations, what would you do?

I'd have a hobby farm: 5-20 acres of pasture, woods, and ponds, with a great big garden and orchard. I'd raise chickens and horses and cows and I'd sell/share eggs, milk, and garden vegetables and fruit. Oh - no mental limitations, you say? Does that include raving insanity? It does? Well, never mind, then.

2. What is your current church calling? What do you like about it? What have some of your other callings been?

I am the Wolf Den Leader in Cub Scouts. For an hour a week, I get to play with a bunch of 8-year old boys. I love how simple their wants are: they want a challenge, they want to play, and they want a snack. They're still young enough to be excited about everything, but old enough that you can really do some fun stuff with them. I really miss them when they turn nine and go into Bears. When we lived in California I was cursed with all sorts of boring and stressful leadership callings that I have since tried to block from my memory. Since moving to Utah, I have been blessed with cushy jobs like R.S. Teacher, Primary Pianist, and Cub Scouts.


3. Name a person you regularly encounter (outside your family) who brightens your day.

Just one? This is my blog and I'll name two if I want to. You can't stop me.

Jessica -- technically she is family because she's married to my husband's brother, but I consider her a true friend. She talks straight and I like that. She knows I get weirded out by crowds of people and so she insulates me from the craziness of visiting relatives and I love her for that. She always makes me laugh and I admire her upbeat outlook on life and just being around her makes me feel cool by association. It's kinda like her "coolness" bubble expands to include me. I'm hoping it will rub off permanently one day. We don't talk so much as we used to... and I miss her.

Amidey -- Gosh what can I say. This adorable girl is one of my most favorite people ever. It's always a little surprising to me to come across someone that I enjoy so very much. Amidey is a lovely, talented woman who is much stronger than she thinks she is. She is a great example of raw emotional courage and self control, and I've learned a lot from her in the short time we've been friends. I can be real with her and she doesn't run screaming for the hills. That's a plus. I think I'll keep her around awhile.

4. In twenty years, what do you think you will miss most about your life now?

Having my kids at home. They are all so cool and fun to be with and interesting to talk to. In twenty years they'll all have kids of their own, I assume, so I'll probably miss staying at home all the time since we'll be traveling all over creation to baptisms and recitals and concerts, etc. I really hate traveling.

I'll also miss playing softball, volleyball, basketball, backpacking, and clogging, on account of my feeble knees are probably not going to hold out another 20 years. Oh wait. I already miss those things. Huh. Why wait 20 years when I can be old and decrepit now? Bring it on.


5. What’s something you appreciate about your spouse?

His sense of humor never fails to make me smile. I love how gentle he is, and most of all how he gives me room to be myself while still somehow making me want to be a better person all at the same time. He is an incredible example of patience, kindness, and optimism. I totally don't deserve him, but I'm keeping him as long as he'll have me.

6. What is your favorite routine, household chore?

I just love cleaning the kitchen over and over and over every day. There's nothing quite so rewarding as working hard to get the dishes washed, the counters and table clean, and the floor swept and mopped, and then within 10 minutes someone has fixed themselves a snack and left plates, bowls, utensils, and food residue all over the counter top. Sometimes even the food is left out as well. Yep, re-cleaning the kitchen is my favorite thing ever!!!

7. What’s a book you return to occasionally (besides the scriptures.)

That's cute. You assume that I am reading the scriptures at least "occasionally".

Ahem.

I re-read various books by Orson Scott Card every year. Favorites include "Enchanted", "Treason" and "Sarah".

8.Favorite Small Pleasures:

Blogging. Talking to/hanging out with my extremely cool friends. Waterfights in restaurants. The smile lines around my husband's eyes.

9. Favorite time of the day?

Dusk. I love summer evenings, when the day has worn itself out and the plants seem to sigh with relief that the heat is past. The mountains are splashed with the orange-pink sunset and the utterly calm air carries the happy noises of playing children from blocks around. My cat follows me as I putter in the garden, watering here, pulling weeds there, eating cherry tomatoes and raspberries off the vine and picking corn and green beans for supper.

10. Name a person who performed what they thought was a small act of service, but ended up being a big deal to you:

When my mom died I was gone for three days helping my dad with the funeral preparations. My sweet next door neighbor, Trudy, came over each morning to help get my children off to school and brought dinner over in the evening after Tom got home from work. She saw what my family needed and just stepped in to help at a time when I simply couldn't be there to do it myself. It wasn't a big deal to her, but it meant the world to me.

11. Name someone who somehow changed your life.

My kids. I thought I was mature and grown up when I got married. How wrong I was.

12. Consider what you do each day. Think of one attribute or trait that you bring to your daily work that is a strength—what is something you do really well?

How am I supposed to answer that? Why do these questions have to be so hard? It's late and I've been laboring to answer this for over a week now and I'm tired of it so I'm just going to post it. Sue me.