1. Did you have a pen pal when you were little (or now)? Where were/are they from?
Yes, I did! I had a pen pal from India, in an area that eventually became Pakistan, named Sheila Kaul. We exchanged letters and gifts throughout my entire childhood, until my early college years. When we started writing, she was an orphan in a Christian orphanage, about my same age. She had just come of age to leave the orphanage when, sadly, we lost touch after a war in that region. I know shamefully little about the history of that part of the world, but my understanding was that it was a dangerous time for her to be Christian, and on the losing side of what was essentially a religious war. We had written for so long that I am sure she knew my address by memory, as I did hers, so I have always believed that something happened that made it impossible for her to write. I still have a lovely bracelet that she sent me.
2. If you could do a different job for one day, what would it be?
Ha. Since I have NO job at the moment this question is loaded! But for over 20 years, I was a research lawyer, and I was more than ready to do something else if I could have figured out what it was. I think I would have been a better social worker than lawyer. Most every day, someone came to my office to discuss their personal problems, and I counseled many judges and lawyers over the years, particularly when their lives were in crisis because of terminal illness or marital discord. They told me, and I believe, that I was a big help to them. I also did years (and years) of volunteer work with the homeless, the bereaved, and families who were dealing with AIDS at a time when there was tremendous stigma. That "work" gave me a lot more fulfillment than my lawyer work ever did.
3. Do you remember your biggest fear from when you were little?
Sure I remember, I was terrified of my parents and of hellfire. I was taught never to do anything that I didn't want Jesus to see (which left me constipated since I did NOT want him to see me on the toilet, and lacked imagination to think of anything worse!) My parents rarely did anything terrible, but they were extremely unpredictable, which was very scary to me. I never knew whether I was going to be slapped or ignored.
4. What do you think is a waste of time? Why?
I have mixed feelings about time-wasting. Certainly whole hours go by now that I am retired without anything to show for them. And I spend way too much time on Facebook and blog surfing. But I have always been a daydreamer, and a part of me thinks those unfocused hours have been the best times of my life (which, I know, raises terrible questions about the quality of my life). Of course, now that I'm not working, things are a little too unbalanced, and I need to work more on not having whole weeks slip away unnoticed.
5. What is the oldest item you have in your closet?
I am sure I have a couple of shirts that I had when I was married, and a tshirt that I made when my son was an infant (although I do not wear it) - so those things are over 30 years old.
So there you go. I've managed to slack away another whole day; haven't left the house, haven't seen another soul. I'm going to top it all off by watching another episode of Glee on DVD from Netflix. Maybe tomorrow I'll manage to shake a leg!
1 comment:
The oldest item hanging in my closet is what they used to call a "duster" - a short lightweight robe - that I used when I was in the hospital when my daughter was born in 1985 (3 months premature). I haven't worn it in ages, but you never know.
The oldest piece of clothing that I still own is in a box of "keepsake clothes" that I need to weed out. It's the sweatshirt that I wore in P.E. class from 1965-69, when I was in high school. It was white (our colors were blue and white) and my name was written on the upper bodice in black magic marker.
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