I've been thinking about this post on and off since about this time last week. I sat down and opened up Blogger about six minutes ago, and I've been looking at a blank screen since -- trying to figure out where to begin. I have so much I want to write about. I have a lot to say. Instead, I spent the last two hours catching up on the hundreds and hundreds (okay, I'm exaggerated) of emails in my in box.
I know what you are thinking. I imagine it goes something like, Duh, Abi.You JUST posted about this last week. Begin at the beginning... (breathy sigh)
Yes, I KNOW Ms/Mr-know-it-all. Yes, yes, I GOT it Ms-just-wrote-a-post-about-it-but-first-appropriately-named-her-blog-Just-Start-to-give-me-an-ever-present-reminder-each-and-every-time-I-sit-down-to-write. If only it were that simple.
It is, just chimed that voice in my head and my heart.
Indeed.
So, I got this email from my sister and then from my mom some time in the last week. It was the 2010 edition of "Getting to Know Your Friends and Family." I, like you, delete most forwarded email (take note), but every time I get this one, I savor it. It never ceases to amaze me how much I still don't know about people I've known all my life. I can count at least five or six or ten things I just learned about two women with whom I share blood. Hmm.
So, after reading and smiling and giggling and marveling at my sister and my mom's responses, I passed over the ARCHIVE and DELETE tabs, and hit REPLY instead.
I think the last time I responded to one of these was sometime in 2008. I think. I'll go back and check someday. Anyway, I was struck today by how much hasn't changed (see response #4). But more -- much more -- I was struck by how much HAS changed (see response #... well... most of the rest). I am me, but I am monumentally different from the last time I hit REPLY.
After a 27- and 33-yr relationship with my sister and my mom respectively, I am still learning more about these women, because that's life. The players and the settings and sometimes even the rules of this game are ever-changing and moving and flowing. Like a flower or a river or a toddler.
"Understanding" of said game, comes when we stop trying to understand it, and we just play. We open our ears and our eyes and our minds and our hearts, and we move with these changes. It is not only more fun to play this game with others, but also NECESSARY.
Our friends on the field or our family on the sidelines -- they are often the ones to help us to see that we are (okay, I am... was) that sweet little girl in red with the paunch and all the pigtails running the wrong way down the soccer field about to shoot on her own goal. They are the ones that give us hugs and kisses and high-fives after we've scored against our team. They are the ones that then look into our tear-streaked faces and exclaim, "NICE SHOT!!" They are the ones that keep sending that damn email every year.
Sometimes we must answer the same old questions, again and again and again, just so we can realize, that each day we are answering old questions for the first time. Sometimes we have to stop and regroup and assess, and write it all down, so we can see what has changed and what has remained constant. Sometimes we need to put it all -- or at least some of it -- out there so that we can continue to know, to grow and to be known.
The coach might pull us out for a while for water and some words. Or perhaps we may need to sit out for a season to gain perspective, to find our footing and ourselves, but then... Then, we jump back in. Yeah.
So, in honor of family, friends and blessed procrastination...
Change all the answers so they apply to you, and then send this to your friends including the person who sent it to you. The idea is that you will learn a lot of little things about your friends that you might not have known! Just press the 'forward' button then you can erase my answers and add yours.
01. High heels, boots or sneakers? - hmmm. is it raining?
02. What time did you get up this morning? - about 5:30, I think.
05. What is your favorite TV show? We're about halfway through season 2 of LOST. Wow.
06. What do you usually have for breakfast? - I'm diversifying. Today, a smoked salmon breakfast burrito with yogurt and fruit.
07. What is your middle name? - Olubunmi.
08. What food do you dislike? - Last week I would have definitively declared, TOMATOES. But I had a bit of a Roma with basil and avocado on cheese toast last week, and I LIKED IT?!?!? Nothing is certain any longer. SO... Beefsteak tomatoes, milk and lima beans, I think.
09. What is your favorite CD at the moment? - A stranger at the Library gifted me with a mix of Chuck Berry and Sam Cooke yesterday. It is good.
10. What characteristic do you despise? - Hatred.
11. Favorite Clothing? - I've got three pairs of jeans, and I like 'em a lot.
12. Anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? - These days, Florence is back on my mind.
13. Are you an organized person? - Yes.
14. Where would you retire to? - Bed.
15. What was your most memorable birthday? - 20th. 33rd.
16. What are you going to do when you finish this? - Enjoy lunch.
17. Furthest place you are sending this? - Not sure yet.
18. Person you expect to send it back first? - Not sure yet.
19. When is your birthday? - Nov 12.
20. Are you a morning person or a night person? I'm learning to love both.
21. What is your shoe size? - 8.5 when I got married; 9 after I had Maya, 9.5 after I had Cole. I'm 5'4... and serious.
22. Do you own any animals? - No.
23. Any news you'd like to share? - I cut my hair off... myself. It felt good.
24. What did you want to be when you were little? an astronaut, a fashion designer, a lawyer, an actress, a writer, a singer...
25. What is your favorite flower? - The red ones. And the yellow ones. Orange and pink and purple are nice too.
26. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? - Today's pretty darn spectacular.
27. Do you wish upon stars? - No, not really.
29. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? - Red. Where's 28?
30. How is the weather right now? - GORGEOUS. Blue skies, bright sun, big puffy clouds, still sea... THANK YOU!
31. Last person you spoke to on the phone? - My dad.
32. Favorite soft drink? - Water.
33. Favorite Restaurant? - Japon on Pearl Street in Boulder.
34. Hair color? - Dark Brown.
35. What was your favorite toy as a child? - Sadly, I don't recall... yet.
36. Summer or Winter? - Summer.
37. Chocolate or vanilla? - Yes.
38. Coffee or tea: - Tea. MMmmm.
39. Boy, do I wish I was still? Not going there much anymore.
40. Do you want your friends to email you back? - Yes, please.
41. When was the last time you cried? - Probably yesterday.
42. What is under your bed? - an empty storage bin.
43. What did you do last night? – I collaged with my kiddos.
44. What are you afraid of? - Today, I pass and choose love instead.
45. Salty or sweet? - Both are so good. ESPECIALLY together!
46. Favorite day of the week? Thursdays. Wait, 47-49?
50. How many people will you send this to? Not sure yet.
51. How many will respond? - See above.
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