Five Things that Terrify Me

29 May By

 

It’s Tuesday and that means it’s Listable Life time.  Is it a coincidence that we’re asked to write about things that frighten us on the first day back to the grind after a holiday?  I think not.  I’m assuming that “The Tuesday after a long holiday weekend” is the assumed item number six on everyone’s list.

Without further ado, Five Things that Terrify Me:

1.  Missing an Exam.  And I’m not even in school anymore.  That’s right.  Though I finished my master’s degree almost a decade ago, I still have nightmares that I have arrived too late to take a final exam.  Actually the dream usually involves my organic chemistry class in undergrad.  Thanks a lot, Dr. Coke.

2.  Cockroaches.  I don’t just find this punks gross… they actually terrify me.  Before you judge, consider a question:  Do you live north of Virginia or west of Tennessee?  Then you don’t have cockroaches like we do down here in the South (or like we’ll have in Hawaii).  These things are big enough to carry small firearms, clever enough to have an 8th grade education and they fly.  Yes, they fly…usually directly at your face.  Shudder.

3.  Tornadoes. I’ve lived through quite a few of these bad boys and while they’re obscenely powerful and cause ridiculous damage even to the point of claiming lives, I’m not usually one to fear things that might happen to me, so when I hear a warning I pay attention but I don’t freak out.  HOWEVER.  A very damaging series of tornadoes swept through NC last year and I managed to elude them in my vehicle by a mile or two (or a minute or two) totally oblivious to what was going on and I’m left feeling like I may have exhausted my free passes.  So perhaps the truth is that I fear my own superstition, not the tornadoes.

4. The bottom of the ocean OR lake.  I mentioned this fear before and made clear that it’s not the thousands of leagues of depth I fear, but even the shallow right-by-shore depth.  This is mostly because I can’t see to the bottom (so I’m better with this in tropical water) and I deeply fear stepping on…anything.  And while stepping on, say, a sting ray is a legimate fear for the ocean, what am I really afraid of in a lake?  Rusty beer cans.  That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

5.  Being afraid.  On a somewhat more serious note, I fear fear itself.  The most terrifying prospect in my life is to be terrified into paralysis.  This fear sits back in the recesses of my mind, but if I’m honest the notion that I could fail to act, miss out on something or leaving a loved one in the lurch because of my own fears is, well, frightening.  I can point to a number of regrets from my childhood that came about because I was afraid and so as an adult, I’ve made every effort to overcome the insecurities that hold me back.  And I fear the fear someday taking over again.

 What do you fear?

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Five Little-Known Facts

15 May By

I’m linking up today, as I often do on Tuesday, with Nicole at Moments that Define Life for her Listable Life series.  Don’t we all ultimately desire to be known?  I’ll admit, without shame, that I do.  That’s why i loved today’s prompt:  Five Little-Known Facts about Me.  It’s interesting that when we’re prompted to describe ourselves, the things we usually choose to share – like what we do for a living, our relationships status, where we’re from, and maybe a hobby – don’t really tell much about who we are.  I’d love to read five little known facts about each of my readers, because I think it’s the obscure things, the unique things that can help make us known.

So, leave me your list in a comment or link up by clicking below.  I want to know you!

 

1.  I’m an introvert.  Oh yes.  100% introvert here.  If one could score off the charts for introversion I would. I fit nearly every description of this term I’ve heard (enjoy quiet time alone, not in need of constant social interaction, often lost in my thoughts, uninterested in small-talk or meaningless interaction).  This is a little-known fact about me because I’m also very outspoken, not at all shy and lucky to have many friends.  Of course, those things are true for most introverts.  We just get worn out being surrounded by people all the time, particularly if those people want to mingle or chat or catch up.  Shudder.

2.  I hate being the center of attention.  This pretty much follows number 1 up there seamlessly, but when I tell people this they don’t believe me.  They point to my penchant for public speaking and my inability to not argue as evidence that I want attention.  The truth is that those two things happen often because I find the discourse involved valuable, interesting and not-at-all chit-chat.  But try throwing me a birthday party.  It makes me squirm to think about it.  And if I’m deemed worthy of an award?  Just mail it to me.  I’m happy to sit quietly behind the scenes, thank you.

3.  I have an over-developed sense of justice.  I just can’t let something go if it’s not right.  This isn’t always a good thing, but sometimes I think it serves a good purpose.   I call *HP when I see maniacs driving on the highway, I ask people who are rude to store clerks to get a grip, and I’ve gone back into a store when I realized I was undercharged for something so I could pay the difference.  Sometimes, though, I need to be reminded that justice is not in my hands.

4.  My greatest pet peeve is people who don’t return their shopping cart to the appropriate place.  Like the other day when an able-bodied woman emptied her shopping cart into her car and then walked the cart over to my front bumper and carefully parked it there WHILE I WAS IN THE CAR even though the shopping cart corral was closer to her than my front bumper.  I made a big show of getting out of my car and returning my cart to its proper home while maintaining eye contact with the shocked woman and then raising my shoulders in a “what the heck, lady?” gesture.  This is partly a reflection of that over-developed sense of justice I mentioned.

5.  I don’t like dessert.  I think I’ve shared this before but no one seems to remember this about me so it bears repeating.  On a rare occasion I’ll get a hankering for peach cobbler or pineapple upside down cake, but as a general rule, I’m not interested in this course of the meal.  No, it’s not because I think desserts make me fat.  No, it’s not because I oppose sugar.  I simply, truly, honestly don’t like sweet things.  In fact, if you want to make me nauseous, put a chocolate doughnut with sprinkles on it in front of me within an hour of me waking up. Or worse!  Eat a plain old Hershey bar.  BLECK!  I’m getting sick just thinking about it.

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Five Jobs I’ve Done

24 Apr By

It’s Listable Life day thanks to Nicole at Moments that Define Life.  This week’s prompt asks for five ways I’ve managed to bring home the bacon – though sometimes it’s been more like Bac-os.  People often ask me about my career and I always wish I had a one word, highly-regarded answer like “Nurse” or “Teacher” or “Astronaut”.  Alas, I’ve had some difficult-to-explain jobs in my life, so maybe this post will help me explain it all.

I had a million different jobs in my teenage and college years including paper delivery girl, and hosiery sales, but we’ll skip right to the relevant jobs starting near the end of college.In chronological order and skipping a few (mostly because I wish I HAD skipped them), my jobs have been:

1.  Credit Representative.  To pay bills in college I got a job in the credit department at a national chain department store.  When people tried to use their store credit card and had it declined, they were sent to me so I could explain that one had to pay one’s bills in order to continue using one’s card.  That conversation never went well.  I also had to sign credit receipts at the end of each day and there were hundreds of them which resulted in the illegible signature I still use today.  This job convinced me to do really well in school and seek a career in ANYTHING else.

2.  Personal Assistant.  After leaving that first job, I landed a spot as a personal assistant for a very nice couple who lived in my college town.  I mostly helped the husband in his work as a sales manager for a medical equipment company but also helped on the wife’s political campaign and even tutored their high-school-aged kids.  Great perks at this job included a fridge stocked with steaks and beer and free range of the house (with inviting friends allowed) on weekends when I was their house sitter. This job firmed up my interested in health care.

3.  Policy Analyst.  This started as an internship as I was majoring in health policy and turned into a full-time (albeit brief) gig.  I reviewed nutrition, physical activity and tobacco control policies and provided recommendations.  This position made me sure I wanted to work right in the interface between health care and politics.

4.  Lobbyist.  I worked with a national non-profit health organization as their program director and lobbyist for several years.  The issue I lobbied most was tobacco control.  Yep.  I fought the tobacco industry in tobacco-growing North Carolina.  Not because I’m fearless (like they say in the movie American President), but because I was naive and needed a pay check.  Nonetheless, it’s nice to live in a state that doesn’t allow smoking in bars and actively seeks to prevent kids from ever lighting up and even nicer to know that in some way I helped lay the groundwork for those changes.

5.  Whatever-It-Is-That-I-Do-Now.  See?  I can’t even describe it and I’ve been doing it for 7 years.  I work with a communications firm (the word firm here means “amazing group of people who I consider to be great friends”) as a consultant in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries.  I do everything from strategic planning to educating patients to teaching professional workshops to developing advocacy campaigns to media outreach.  My file folders have names like “Medicaid” and “Heart Disease” and “Public Health” and “PDUFA” (I’ve got 10 points for whoever knows what that means!). I get to work on exciting and emerging policy issues (like health care reform), smaller initiatives that touch individual lives (like making sure families in need have access to car seats for their children) and multi-faceted national programs that literally save lives (like helping people afford their lifesaving medications).  I’m not sure I’ll ever have a name for this job, but it’s afforded me so many great experiences and helped me develop so many new skills, I’m not sure one word could ever cover it.

So, to quote my most favorite conversation starter, what do you do?

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Five Things I Wish I Had the Guts to Do

17 Apr By

It’s Listable Life day over at Moments that Define Life and I’m really pumped for this list.  If you’ve known me for any time at all, you know I’m a relatively wreckless fearless person.  There are more than a few stories in my timeline that start out with “Somebody had to” and end with “so Sarah did”.  I’m also a tough person to embarrass and that’s critical for this list because I think most of the time the lack of “guts” is really just a fear of embarrassment.

That said, there are a few things on my to-do list that I’m too wimpy to mark off…so far…

1. Confront the hateful woman who openly challenged my faith without even knowing me.  Actually let’s just say what she said:  “You’re a bad Christian”.  Because I casually mentioned that I’m a sinner…you know…along with EVERYONE ELSE.  This happened probably 8 months ago.  Not over it.

2.  Order pizza.  Let me be honest:  this is weird.  I think this is some holdover from when I was about 10 years old and had to order takeout pizza for the family the first time.  The person I talked to via phone didn’t have a good command of my primary language and the whole thing was a train wreck.  Needless to say, I still get nervous ordering a pizza over the phone and won’t do it.  I can lead a massive conference call of important people, but I can’t ask for extra cheese.  Weird. (Note:  it has just occured to The Gentleman that he’s always the one who calls the deliver guys)

{source}

3.  Sing karaoke FOR REAL.  Now don’t get me wrong – I love karaoke and will sing anytime anywhere.  But I cheese it out, overdo it, spoil it on purpose.  One of these days, I’m going to really, really sing, on key, in time and with soul.  Just wait.

{source}

4.  Ask for help.  This is a perennial problem for independent ladies like myself. It would seem I’d rather let a situation go to absolute hell than ask for some help with it.  I really have to work on this one.  (The Gentleman just crossed his hands over his chest and looked at me like a good Southern mama and said “Mmm-hmm!”  Not really.  But he would if he were here).  So there’s some serious dirt for you.

5. Stand on the bottom of the ocean.  You know, up close to the shore where it’s shallow enough to do so.  Yep, you’re reading this right.  I cannot put my feet on the bottom of the ocean and stand still.  I have the irrational fear that I’ve actually stopped on top of an enormous stingray whose tail is going to whip up and stab me in the Achilles tendon at any moment.  Or that I’ll step on glass.  Or a dead body.  So I float in the ocean instead (or cling to my husband’s surf board).  And floating and clinging are exhausting.  Gotta get over this.

Look at this sneaky little jerk.  He’s just waiting for someone to step on him.

{source}

Link Up – Click the Button:

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How he Hooked me

3 Apr By

Happy Tuesday!  I’m in a chipper mood today now that my big news is out.  It also doesn’t hurt that my french pressed coffee was really really exceptional this morning.  Yay caffeine!  I’ve been MIA from Listable Life (hosted by Moments that Define Life) for a few weeks, but this week’s prompt was too good to miss.  The Gentleman and I have gone through an enormous amount of chaos in our first few months of marriage, but each additional pound of stress shows me even more why I love my man!  That’s a fun trick God uses – out of adversity comes great clarity and stronger bonds.  I’m always glad God’s so much smarter than me.

Anyway, today’s list prompt calls for Five Reasons I Married My Husband.  I have far more than 5 reasons, so I’ve decided to share some of the really fun reasons.  I’m a lucky gal!

1.  He enjoys The Pink Panther.  No, not the cartoon.  The original movies.  I’m pretty sure liking original Pink Panther movies should be a prerequisite for the Nobel Peace Prize.

2.  He knows the “Call me Al” dance.  Early in our relationship this song popped up in a playlist while we were doing chores and we both fell right into step during the chorus, without speaking a word about it.  If that’s not a sign we should be married, I don’t know what is.  And, since I know I’ve got some young readers, here’s the reference:

3.  Three words:  Plays The Banjo.  I’m a huge bluegrass fan and since I know how hard playing the banjo is, he gets extra points for this one.  He even played a banjo version of Enter Sandman (Metallica) at our wedding reception accompanied by my brother on guitar.  It wasn’t nearly as 1980′s redneck fabulous as it sounds.  Okay, it kind of was.  I’ll show  you the video one day.

4.  He has an endless repertoire of gruff cowboy-like one-liners.  A recent favorite:  “I’d rather suck-start a twelve gauge than be stuck behind a slow driver in the fast lane.”  Bonus: he delivers these one liners in a quiet, stoic manner.  Deadpan.

5.  He unilaterally decided that I’m a Travis Kvapil fan (that’s a NASCAR driver).  He decided this because it bothers me that the guy’s name is pronounced “qua-pull” when it’s clearly spelled “ku-va-pill”.  The Gentleman provides me with regular updates on how “my driver” is fairing.

And that, ladies and germs, is a glimpse at my sweet Gentleman’s many charms!  Link up at Listable Life and share your own list!

 

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Five Favorite Books

12 Mar By

Oh books!  You are my muse.  I love to read, but have to admit that this hasn’t always been so.  In fact, while I was in school, reading was my least favorite activity and that’s probably because even the literature I was reading was assigned.  Shudder.

Here’s some DIRT:  I made it through my entire undergraduate career without ever actually reading any of the assigned books.  That’s right.  I passed tests and wrote papers on books I never read.  Perhaps I’m talented at BS?

Anyway, when I finally escaped the oppression of assigned reading I discovered that I really enjoy books.  Real books.  Smart books.   I had a hard time coming up with this Listable Life list of my Five All-Time Favorite Books…I think I really have 30 all-time favorites.  For brevity’s sake, though, these five top my list!

I loved all the books in this series as a child and I can still enjoy reading them to this day.  In fact, I still want to be Laura Ingalls Wilder.  Wait.  Didn’t I list Little House on the Prairie as a favorite all-time TV show too?   {Source}

 

Ultimately, it’s just a murder mystery.  What sets it apart is how incredible readable it is.  Capote was a genius with words.  {Source}

Oh yeah.  I just dorked out big time!  I am fascinated by military and foreign policy history and it’s widely known among my friends that I have a “crush” on Winston Churchill.  There are many biographies of the British leader floating around but this one leaves you feeling like you really know the man.  Add to that the carefully organized history lessons in each chapter and this book is a winner among peers.  {Source}

There’s just so much to love about this book – its message, its characters and its Southern voice.  This is one of only a few assigned books I enjoyed reading and chose to read again.  Did you know that Harper Lee and Truman Capote were friends?  Oh to be invited to THAT dinner party! {Source}

The ultimate can’t-put-it-down book.  It’s exciting and terrifying and gut-wrenching and entertaining and horrifying and inspiring and ALL TRUE!  An amazing story of an Olympic athlete and a World War II Veteran authored by another word genius, Laura Hillenbrand. {Source}

 

Link up with Listable Life here.

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Five Unsung Heroes

28 Feb By

It’s Listable Life time!   Link up over at Moments that Define Life so i can see your lists too!

This week, I’m listing five people I treasure the most.  When I thought of making this list, I realized that I couldn’t prioritize five specific people – like my husband, my parents, my brothers.  I can’t even prioritize five categories of people – like family, close friends, neighbors.  I can, however, list five types of people I interact with regularly but who I rarely thank.  To all the unsung heroes in my day:  Thank you!!

Five Unsung Heroes I Treasure the Most

  1. Law Enforcement, Members of the Military, Fire Fighters, EMTs, etc..  Okay, okay I know I’m thanking my husband here, but I truly am thankful for the people in this world who are willing to stand up to danger and even give their lives for the benefit of complete strangers.  What an amazing bravery and generosity these people have!  Thanks for keeping me safe.  Thanks Protectors!
  2. Pleasant Customer Service Representatives.  Have you ever worked in a customer service job?  I have and let me tell you, it is not the most cheer-inspiring job.  The folks who do this kind of work endure name-calling, yelling, threats, sheer stupidity, tears, mis-directed anger, insults and all manner of personal attacks.  When you come across a Pleasant Customer Service Rep, realize that this person is of exceptional character to still be willing to treat strangers kindly after all the abuse they take. Thanks, Customer Service!
  3. Nurses.  I do a lot of work in the health care industry and I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that nurses are doing the bulk of the work in keeping you healthy.  Now, I don’t mean to downplay the role of physicians and pharmacists and all manner of ancillary therapists.  Thanks to all of you as well!  Nurses, however, take it to a different level.  They are often the only people you’ll encounter in the health system who will take time to answer your questions, offer a kind word and make sure you understand what’s going on.  All this and they get to clean up all kinds of bodily fluids as well.  Thanks, Nurses!
  4. Pastors.  What a job this is!  A pastor must be a teacher, counselor, friend, CEO, role model, fundraiser and staff manager.  And lest you think that list isn’t too bad, add in the pressure that the health of another person’s soul may rely on the words you say.  Mix in the stress that comes with knowing the darkest brokenness of hundreds of people you care deeply for and then toss on the responsibility of being a highly public and watched figure.  It ain’t easy, folks.  Thanks, Pastors!
  5. Waiters/Waitresses.  These folks deal with the same you-know-what as customer service representatives.  If I told you there was a job available where you got to awkwardly carry many heavy loads, listen to a lot of criticism that’s intended for a coworker (chef, management) and where your salary relies on whether people who are often having a bad day feel generous enough to pay you, would you want that job?  Me neither.  However, anyone who will carry delicious food to me and regularly refill my beverages is a hero in my book.  Thanks, Waitstaff!

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Five Moments I’d Live Over Again

13 Feb By

This week’s Listable Life share Five Moments I’d Live All Over Again!  In no particular order:

1. The day I married my sweet Gentleman.  Still reliving it.  Can’t wait to see the rest of our pictures!

2.  RockyGrass.  Any year.  Any lineup.  Quality time with brothers, sisters-in-law and nephews.  Mix in a little bluegrass and incomparable Colorado weather and I’m there!

3.  That one night several years ago when after laying on my couch crying, I had a moment where so much just clicked and I knew I had never been alone and would never be alone… that God had been there all along and would keep walking with me.  No picture necessary

4.  This exact bowl of soupe l’oignon, that precise baguette and definitely that rose and all of it served right there on that same street in Paris.

5.  Any of the UNC National Championships.  What can I say?  I’m a big basketball fan!

What moments would you live again?  Thanks to Moments that Define Life for hosting!

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Five New Social Media No-No’s

8 Feb By

Before we start, let’s acknowledge the great existing lists of social media pet peeves.  No need for me to reinvent the wheel, folks.   Take these, for example:

This one went viral on Facebook (but I doubt it changed much…)

My Listable Life host, Nicole shares hers here.

And here’s a fun list devoted to Twitter.

And now a few additional no-no’s to add to the conversation:

1. Auto-replies.  I know it seems like a nice gesture to thank me for subscribing or following  you with one of the automatic reply features.  However, even this “always say thank you” advocate has to draw the line somewhere and this is it.  Two things wrong with auto replies are:  1) They are impersonal – a jerk spammer gets the same “thank you” that I do; and 2) The notice in my inbox telling me I’ve got a message gets me all excited for an actual interaction with you and then….then I’m just let down.  The best “thank you” you can provide your network of contacts is genuine interaction

2.  Hashtag Bombing.  I think I just made up that term, but allow me to demonstrate what a hashtag bomb looks like:

#Today I went #shopping at #walmart and#bought #three #apples.  They were #delicious.  #ApplesForever   

What are you going for here?  Do you want a highly searchable tweet?  Are you just not clear on how to use hashtags?  Maybe your number sign key is just stuck.  Whatever you’re doing, you’re doing it wrong.  Here’s some good guidance for using hashtags.

3. Not Responding.  It’s called SOCIAL media and being social means interacting with people and interacting with people is a two-way street.  Now, I’m guilty of failing to respond to each and every communication I receive, but I make every effort to interact with people when it’s clear they’re seeking interaction.  If you’re pressed for time, a “Thanks everyone” will suffice provided you make an effort to interact more meaningfully at a later time.

4.  Ignoring the direct message option.  Not every communication is appropriate for a public Facebook or Twitter feed.  Make use of direct messages for posts and tweets like:

“I’m sorry your husband was such a jerk to you.  Want to chat?”

“We really need to talk about your drinking problem.”

“Did you tell your boss you’re quitting yet?”

“Let me know if you want a referral for that fungus you’re dealing with.”

“Have you left for your two week vacation while your burglar alarm is on the fritz yet”

5.  Mystery Pinners.   If you’re going to pin something to a Pinterest board, make sure the image links back to some sort of reference.  Sure, I love that gorgeous dress you pinned too, but I’m going to be really annoyed when that image leads back to   your Flickr account or the dreaded “user upload” with no caption or reference.  It’s okay to pin your own photos, but give me a caption, a link, something that identifies the subject of your photo. More importantly, if you’re pinning someone else’s image, you should ALWAYS give credit to the source.  No exceptions.

6.  Okay, I know I said FIVE social media no-no’s but I have to add  number 6 because I know I’m not alone AND this one really grinds my gears. Blogs that auto-play music.  Go ahead and delete that little widget.  When I visit your blog I’m already listening to Pandora and when I hear your John Mayer mix with my Gillian Welch, my ears bleed a little.

What’s missing from the list? 

Join the Listable Life at Moments that Define Life.

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The Best of TV

24 Jan By

Howdy Padnas.  Today we’re participating in the Listable Life link up with Nicole over at Moments that Define Life.  Today’s prompt put me in full reminisce mode about my most favorite shows of all time.

5 All-time Favorite TV Shows

1.  Law and Order.  The Original.  I love watching Jack McCoy deliver a smack down!

2.  Saved by the Bell.  There have been so many versions of this, but these guys below were my most favorite.

3.  Little House on the Prairie.  LOVE when I find reruns on.

4.  Looney Tunes.  You just can’t go wrong.  This clip is from a favorite episode:

5.  24.  There will never be another show to leave me as breathless as this one.  Jack Bauer for President!

What are your favorite TV shows?

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