Happy Friday! It’s been a while since I did a Friday Questions post, so let’s answer some more of the questions Nicole posed on her Real Talk Radio podcast:
1) When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I spent a lot of my childhood thinking that I wanted to be a vet. I am an animal lover to my core, and I always figured that was the perfect career for me. (My first science class in college quickly abused me of that notion, though. I struggled through basic anatomy!) I also remember telling people I wanted to be an author. (One time, a family friend said, “You want to be Arthur?” as if they thought my goal in life was to be a cartoon aardvark, but I digress.)
2) When you’re getting to know someone new, what’s your favorite thing to ask them?
I know it’s a lame question to ask, but I love to ask what people do for a living. I know, I know. We are all so much more than our jobs, but it’s also what we spend most of our time doing during a typical week and I always find the answer enlightening. And some people have really cool jobs! People always want to know more when I tell them I’m a copywriter, and I’m happy to explain what I do.
I also like to ask people about the last great book they read, but it’s demoralizing to ask this on dating apps. Nobody reads! Argh. But maybe it should be my go-to question to ask to separate the men from the boys. 😉
3) What’s something you know now that you wish you would have known three years ago?
Man, probably that both of my grandparents would be gone. Hopefully, it would have pushed me to spend more time with them, ask more about their lives, and soak up their wisdom. And this is coming from someone who was super close with her grandparents! I guess it’s normal to live with those types of regrets, of just always wanting more time with the people you love. Have you heard of that company called StoryWorth that sends weekly emails to your loved ones with prompts so they can tell the story of their life and your family? I really wanted to do something like that with Pops; it was something I was thinking about purchasing for 2019, but now I can’t. It’s miserable having regrets, it really is.
4) What’s one non-negotiable thing that you have to do every day?
Reading. Even if it’s just for 5-10 minutes at the end of the day, I always make time for reading.
5) If I could hand you an all-expense trip for two, where would you go and who would you bring?
Oh, this is so easy because I’ve been dreaming and scheming about doing something like this for a long time now, and I just want to make it happen! I would take my mom on a two-week trip to Italy. We’d spend some of our time exploring the cities and the rest of it sailing through the Mediterranean on a cruise. I really need to get my butt into gear and start saving for this because I’d love to have this memory with my mom more than anything.
What’s your non-negotiable? Where would you go on an all-expense trip for two and who would you bring?
I really should do StoryWorth with my mom. I gave her a journal with a bunch of prompts to fill out but I have a feeling she hasn’t filled it out yet as she’s still working full time and is so busy! But StoryWorth seems more doable since they just ask a question at a time!
My non-negotiable is reading every day, too. I always make time for reading. It’s part of my bedtime ritual.
For the all-expense paid trip, I think my ‘dream trip’ would be to go to New Zealand with Phil. I went there for a week when I studied abroad in Australia and just loved it. It’s the perfect country for us as there is lots of hiking and beautiful scenery. But we need to do this trip when we are retired so we can go for like a month because the flight is soooo long. My other choice would be a trip to Paris but Phil is not as interested in going as I am because he prefers outdoorsy types of trips. But I thin he’d like Paris if he actually went because there’s so much history and he’s a huge history buff.
Both of those dream vacations sound so great! I have a feeling you and Phil would have so much fun in New Zealand. It sounds perfect for the type of vacations you two like. I just added a price alert for flights to Paris – I think 2019 is the year I finally make it there! (And if I find a good price, you can be absolutely certain I’ll be picking your brain about it!)
I ALWAYS ask people what they do for a living too. It’s the first thing I wonder about people and I’m not sure why. For me, my career is a huge part of my identity and who I am, so I always assume the same about others. I feel like it can be really telling about a person.
I think so, too! I find it so interesting what people have chosen to do for a living, especially whether or not they light up when they talk about it.
Italy is definitely one of the most amazing and magical places I’ve ever been! Your plan for taking your mom there sounds incredible!
Ahh! I just want to go there so badly. One day!
Ha, I wanted to be a vet too when I was a kid… until I work summers at the vet who lived next door and realized “it’s a tough, though rewarding, job to be around sick animals all the time”.
J hasn’t been able to work for a while, so the question “what do you do for a living” is his LEAST favorite LOL