This is Me - Read between the lines
This is a post included in the This is Me series where I answer 1001 questions about myself as writing practice. Each post consists of me answering 5 questions about myself. Wanna share what you would answer to any or all of the questions? Do it in the comments section!
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE WAY TO TRAVEL? CAR, TRAIN OR PLANE?
I'm not sure I can truthfully answer this question as I have never traveled by train. Of the remaining two options, choosing between them is like choosing between reading a book or going to the movies. There are things I like about both and things I dislike about both.
I have a long history of traveling by car. Every summer we would drive from Albuquerque to El Paso on one of my dads work trips. He was a, auto parts salesman, piston rings and auto filters, and El Paso was his territory so when I was out of school, mom and I would go with him for a week and enjoy our time in the hotel pool while he went out and visited his clients.
As an adult, I've driven all over the West Coast and then once I married an Army guy...the cross country car trips began and continued and continued and continued. We drove all over for the two years we lived in our 5th wheel. I don't mind the car at all. I don't get sick. I love listening to podcasts or books. The rolling corn fields, the never ending Joshua Trees reaching up to the sky, the dense evergreens and the sleepy rural towns that are stuck in the early 90's give you so much perspective about just how big this country is.
That being said, packing your bag and boarding a plane lends itself to a different kind of excitement and adventure. For one thing, it's so fast! Two hours gate to gate and you are 12 states over. And the view. I will never tire of looking down on Mt. Rainier from 30,000, or that entrance to Newark with the Manhattan skyline twinkling in the distance....it can't help but stir something inside of you.
My official answer will be...my favorite way is to ..... travel.
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU WERE TOLD OF YOUR SHORTCOMINGS?
Being married is the clearest communicator of all of your shortcomings. Marriage can be brutally honest while simultaneously being breathtakingly beautiful.
DO YOU HAVE ANY HABITS THAT ARE BOTH GOOD AND BAD?
I can't help but be transported back to my HR days and interview questions...the joke was always - for 'what is your biggest weakness?' you would describe something that was really a strength but describe it as a weakness so you get double points and you don't have to admit that you are bad at anything. This questions feel like that.
That being said, here are my habits that are both good and bad. I am always right on time which can sometimes make other people feel bad for being late. I'm also really particular about accuracy which can sometimes slow me down completing projects.
#winkwink
WHAT IS SOMETHING YOU'VE WANTED BUT REALIZED YOU DIDN'T NEED?
Sugar.
Ok, ok, I know but hear me out alright?
Here's the facts. Our bodies need glucose to function, but, #plottwist, our bodies also make enough glucose to function properly. We don't actually NEED added sugar in our diet to function and live a healthy life.
The biggest hiccup I see occurring in conversations regarding sugar is the lack in acknowledgement that the amount of sugar in food you can find in the western world in 2022 is unprecedented. Sure, a little bit of added sure in your diet from time to time is not horrible, but most people simply don't realize just how much sugar is in literally almost every single thing they eat. Even beef jerky and bacon. And it's addictive. So the more you consume, the more you want whether you really realize it or not.
It's also an extremely slow killer. It's not going to kill you if you "overdose" on one day. But most Americans are overdosing daily and over 20 years, it will make you very very sick with chronic diseases that are entirely preventable. It's something we all want, but none of us need, especially in the doses we are ingesting.
(stepping off soap box)
WHAT WAS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LIKE FOR YOU?
My memories from elementary school resemble snapshots in time pieced together like a patchwork quilt.
I remember telling kids on the playground, "read between the lines" while holding up my index, middle and ring finger. I remember getting in trouble for telling a girl I was going to give her lice. I remember my 3rd grade teacher having an epileptic seizure on top of me (she turned and fell on me.) I remember watching the challenger blow up in class. I remember playing boys-chase-girls and being captured by my crush. I remember getting in trouble for wearing stirrup pants to school one day (they were against dress code). I remember my first "boyfriend", Todd Kline who had a funny tick he did with his arms. I remember winning a reading contest by finishing Gone with the Wind. I remember being excited about getting to middle school where we would change classes instead of stay in the same room all day. I guess you could say elementary school was a good time.
