Dr. Proust Questionnaire – Join The Wave!

This is all David Kanigan’s fault.  You know David, don’t you? Over at Live and Learn?  Well, if not, click right over there because when I read all the questions that he answered, I felt like I wanted to do the same.  Oh boy, it’s like one of those chain letters.  Remember those?  You liked the idea of getting them at first and then when you had to sit down to do them, it was harder than it seemed!  Well, this isn’t mandatory, but I will say, it sure was fun – fun to read other’s answers and to get to know them.  Then, I found it was insightful when it was my turn to sit down to answer the questionnaire myself.

So feel free to hop on the bandwagon and copy/paste/link.  David refers to it as being a part of the wave in a stadium – at least that’s how he got me to post it.  LOL  But please let me know if you join the wave because I’ll definitely want to stop over to see your answers!

1. What is your current state of mind? Contemplative
2. What is your favorite journey? To the beach.
3. What is your idea of perfect happiness? Having my sons with me, no matter where we are, but home is perfect and Christmas morning is my favorite!
4. What is your greatest fear? Death of loved ones. 
5. What is your most marked characteristic? Every emotion shows on my face.
6. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? Unworthiness.
7. What is the trait you most deplore in others? Cruelty.
   
8. What is your greatest extravagance? Horseback riding lessons.
   
9. What do you consider the most overrated virtue? Orderliness.
10. On what occasion do you lie? When I’m talking with loved ones with Alzheimer’s.
11. Dislike most about your appearance? Wish I were thinner, less wrinkles.
12. Which living person do you most despise? Despise, no one.  Dislike sometimes, yes.
13. Which words or phrases do you most overuse? I’m sorry.
14. What is your greatest regret? Being a ‘good girl’ instead of doing what I wanted.
    
15. What or who is the greatest love of your life? My sons.
16. When and where were you happiest? Jr. year abroad – Spain
    
17. Which talent would you most like to have? Healer.
18. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? I would be healthy.
    
19. If you could change one thing about your family, what would it be? Nothing.
20. What do you consider your greatest achievement?  My two sons.
21. What is your most treasured possession? Our cats, if they can be called possessions.
22. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? The hopeless.
23. Where would you like to live? Not sure yet. Would like to try a few different places: a farm, on an island beach, Europe again. 
24. What is your favorite occupation? Teacher.
25. What is the quality you most like in a man? Kind, loving and honest. – whoops, that’s three.  Sorry, I can’t choose just one.
    
26. What is the quality you most like in a woman? Grace.
    
27. What do you most value in your friends? Truth.
28. Who are your favorite writers? Too many to list – Kaitlin O’Riley, Jodi Picoult, etc.
    
29. Who is your favorite hero of fiction? Scarlett O’Hara
    
30. What is it that you most dislike? Liars.
31. Who are your heroes in real life? People who have overcome the odds, no matter how big or small.  The ones who listen, who share, who accept and love with their whole hearts.
32. How would you like to die? Fall asleep in my home, preferably in my favorite chair, reading a good  book.
33. If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be? A cat.
34. What is your motto? Find The Presents of Presence.

The Proust Questionnaire has its origins in a parlor game popularized (though not devised) by Marcel Proust, the French essayist and novelist, who believed that, in answering these questions, an individual reveals his or her true nature.  (Source: Vanity Fair)

Thank you David!  I loved the questionnaire.  I’m always learning something over at your blog!  I hope others join the wave!  If not, then at least I got to know you better. 🙂

Shine On!

xo

The Gift of Choice

Choice is a gift, but I think sometimes it’s one that we shun because we forget we have it in our back pocket.

~ Misifusa

I don’t know about you, but sometimes in life I feel like I have no choice but to do whatever is expected of me.  I will figuratively move mountains to help, to accomplish or to do what needs to be done, even when I don’t want to even think about putting one more thing on my list to do.

But we have a choice, even when we feel like we are backed into a corner with no exit sign nearby.  We can choose to comply or to bend or to not.

On the other hand, I think we also get bogged down with seeing life from only one side of the track or perspective and yet, there’s a whole other view which we can choose to look at or even better, choose to be the observer and look at the entire scenario, like the producer of a play.  Instead of being one of the characters in your life play, we can look with fresh eyes at the whole scene and get a better perspective.  Be the audience or the producer instead of the character, bound by her leading assigned role.

I can hear you now, it’s not that easy Pollyanna.

But yes, it is, dear friends.  You have the gift of choice at every moment of every day.  Do you realize how many unconscious decisions we make in a day?  What if we were to consciously choose from the producer’s point of view instead of our own limited point of view?  Do you think we’d choose the same decisions?  I’m thinking yes, sometimes and no, sometimes not.

Have you ever pondered that we have the gift of choice that we don’t always utilize?  Can you think of any situation when you could have used your gift of choice with free reign and maybe had a better outcome?

Just another thought to ponder today.  Share below what you think!

Shine On!

xo