Hey, hey! It’s Friday and I have a fairly busy weekend ahead of me – a massage after work, girl’s night out tonight, a vet appointment for Eloise tomorrow morning, a writing date, game night with the fam, and my least-favorite holiday on Sunday. Whew! Will I be able to take a nap at all this weekend? Stay tuned!

I’m wrapping up this week with Friday Questions, which I got from the Real Talk Radio podcast. I love these questions! They really make me think.

1) What’s one fact or idea that you’ve learned recently that’s changed the way you think about yourself or the world in general?

I’ve been thinking a lot about climate change recently, mostly because our current presidential administration doesn’t seem to think it’s a thing. (All of the eye rolls.) The facts don’t lie, and if we don’t make major changes, things are going to be pretty scary in the future. So, I’m trying to do my part in whatever small ways I can and that mainly comes down to the trash I produce. I don’t think I’ll ever live a no-waste lifestyle but I am trying to be mindful of the small ways I can limit my waste. Like no longer using paper towels, or plastic baggies, or single-use wipes. I recycle as much as I can and work really hard to produce only one bag of trash a week. (I’d love to get this down to once a month but baby steps!) These are small steps, but it feels good to be making them.

2) Talk about a time when you really pushed your limits and impressed yourself.

This may seem like a small example, but it happened on Tuesday night when I attended a silent reading event hosted by a local literary organization in my city. I went with a friend, thankfully, because I do not think I could have had the courage to go alone. Leading up to the event, I was a wreck. I woke up with so much anxiety roiling through my body.

I am 100% sure I would have just driven right by the center and gone home if my friend wasn’t with me. But she was, so we found parking and nervously walked around the building to the front. Just opening the door to the center felt like an insurmountable task. I really wanted my friend to be the one to open the door, but since I was the one who invited her to come along with me, I knew I had to be the brave one. It was so scary! But I’m so glad I did it and pushed myself beyond what is comfortable for me. It was such a fun night and stuff like this helps me remember that I can do stuff that feels scary!

3) What’s one decision in your past that had you chosen differently, would have led you down a totally different path in life?

If I had decided to move forward with getting my degree in education. Instead, I decided to change majors when I was nearly finished with the program, and I am so glad I did. My life would be completely different if I was a teacher. (Though I’m not sure I’d still be one today.) I’d have different friends, different responsibilities, a different home. It’s weird to think about, honestly. I am so happy where I am today and what my career looks like right now, so I can’t imagine how different my life would be if I had graduated with an education degree and become a teacher.

4) What’s one belief or opinion that you’ve done a complete 180 on?

Oh man, I used to be the staunchest pro-life supporter. Like, I was the person who would snidely respond to pro-choice supporters with, “If a woman doesn’t want to get pregnant, she should keep her legs closed.” Yeah. Look, I’m not proud of that and it hurts for me to even write that, but that’s my truth. (And, also, that’s what happens when you spend the first 18 years of your life in an evangelical church.) Thankfully, my opinion has changed dramatically after doing a lot of research and listening to women’s stories. Now, I’m staunchly pro-choice and I believe women should have control over their own bodies. I don’t believe you should be forced into celibacy if you don’t want to have babies. Sex is about a whole lot more than making babies.

But honestly, it’s amazing what happens when you break out of your bubble and just start listening. Once you start to pay attention and hear what women are saying, it can completely transform your worldview.

5) What’s one place in your city that you really recommend people to check out if they travel there?

Oh, I’d totally recommend Datz! It’s this funky little restaurant with the best food. You’ll probably want to skip lunch beforehand because you want to come to Datz starving and ready to eat a lot of good food. (Also, please throw out your diet for the night. You don’t want to think about calories here.) And, afterward, even though you’ll be totally stuffed from dinner, pop into Dough next door for a sweet treat!

What’s a place you often recommend for your city?

Hey, hey! It’s Friday and I am soooo looking forward to a really calm, relaxed weekend. It’s been a very busy April and I need this little break in the busyness.

Today, I’m continuing the Friday Questions series with a few more questions I pulled from the Community Questions portion of the Real Talk Radio podcast.

1) What’s working really well in your life right now, something that feels easy, vibrant, and flowing?

I don’t know if this is going to sound like a silly answer, but being a cat mom. I love being a cat mom. I love these girls of mine so, so much. They are the sweetest, silliest, snuggliest, most fun girls and they make me so happy. I love coming home to them every day because I usually find them sleeping on the couch, and they will get up and greet me. I love how Eloise sleeps next to me at night, and how Lila wakes me up multiple times by batting at my face. Everything about taking care of them makes me feel so good.

2) If you were given an unlimited amount of money to fix any problem in the world, what would you choose?

Homelessness and poverty. Reading Evicted by Matthew Desmond last year was really powerful for me, and I encourage everyone to read that book to really understand what it means to live in poverty and how the system consistently works against poor people, especially poor people of color. We should all have a safe place to live and a warm bed to sleep in. We should all have food on our table and to be able to care for our children. If I could funnel all of the money in the world to setting up organizations and systems that could help solve the crisis of homelessness and poverty, could you imagine how that would change our world? Man.

3) What’s one of the best gifts you’ve ever received?

When I was a freshman in college, I came home for the summer to find out my mom had gotten me a new bed. I was completely surprised because while I had complained about my bed to her (I was sleeping on a twin bed that I had had since I was tiny), I didn’t know she was looking into getting me something new. We were struggling financially then, so I didn’t expect to get a new bed unless I paid for it myself. The bed was a hand-me-down from a family member, and it was the sweetest surprise! I remember opening the door to my bedroom and my mouth dropping open in shock to see this beautiful full-size bed in place of my tiny twin. It was the best gift (especially considering my mom was still sleeping on a crummy daybed at that point, and she had every right to keep this new bed for herself). My mom’s the best, what can I say?

4) What’s one habit that you’ve been successful at adopting over the past few years that you’re proud of?

A recent habit I’ve acquired is taking vitamins, which doesn’t sound like a huge deal, but I’m always proud of doing something consistently. I’m vitamin D and iron deficient, so those are vitamins I need to be taking on a regular basis and I’m happy to report that I do now.

The problem with taking vitamins for me is that I can’t take them first thing in the morning. Taking vitamins on an empty stomach makes me nauseated. So, I needed to take them after breakfast, which I usually eat at work and that means I needed to bring my pills with me to work… and then remember to take them home on the weekends. Y’all, this is apparently way too complicated for me. Then, Lisa suggested taking them at night. Genius! What a simple hack. I can’t believe I didn’t think of it myself.

Now, I take my vitamins with my dinner and rarely miss a day! I also keep my vitamins in one of those day-of-the-week pill containers that sits on my kitchen island so it’s always in my eyesight.

5) If you could have a hot fling with one fictional character, who would it be?

Oh goodness. Give me Jess Mariano from Gilmore Girls. But I’d prefer the sweet Jess from A Year in the Life, not the angsty one from the series.

Who would YOU have a hot fling with?