25 things

For those of you who don't Facebook, here is a note that I've written. Please feel free to e-mail and respond (If you can find the time). If not, please feel free to get to know me a little better!

Rules:
Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

(To do this, go to "notes" under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish.)

1. I crave peace and tranquillity. Conflict makes me feel physically ill. Many days, when my kids are at each others throats, I will yell "I want PEACE in this house! Please, just get along!" (yes, I see the irony of that)

2. When I think of my 'Happy Place' I am sitting on a coastal beach in BC,( any beach will do as long as its rocky), and I am watching the waves break on the shore and listening to the continuous crash, smelling the salt and rotting seaweed and wet wood, the wind pulling at my hair.

3. I can handle having some clutter in my home - but not too much. Sometimes I find it hard to breathe (seriously) when there is too much clutter. I think this could be called a mild anxiety attack. I am thankful that it is over something that I can change and control. I struggle with finding a balance between appreciating the stuff I have and hating it because it feels like an overwhelming burden.

4. When I received the first of these notes from another FB Friend, I thought "Oh, another chain letter type message". One of the lines in the 'rules' stuck with me though. It said " If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you." FB is great for maintaining acquaintances, and those relationships are important to have. But, I think we all crave more. There is a comfort in intimacy. In knowing someone well and having others know you. I know I have noticed my lack of intimate friends in the past few years. So, I decided to put an effort into completing this 'chain letter' in the hopes of ... well, growing friendships.

5. Like most women, I have many roles in life. Wife, Mother, Daughter, Sister, Friend... these roles form the platform from which I view and interact with the world around me. They are not me. They are labels for how I interact with others and they define my relationship to those around me.

6. I went to a silence retreat last year. I was apprehensive about going, but I am glad I did. At one point, we sang a very simple song. It comprised the name of each person present, then the phrase 'Remember, who you you are'. So for me they sang "Beverly (x3) Remember (x3) Who you are". I believe God placed these words in my heart in the silence that followed that song, they have become very special to me. "You are a child of God, loved by Him, and precious in His sight" Later, a new truth was added to that "God is especially fond of you". I sing that song to my kids now and pray that those same truths will take root in their hearts.

7. I really hate phoning people. For some reason, I avoid calling people whenever possible. When I do actually pick up the phone and dial, it is only after coaching myself to do it. I think I am afraid of calling at a bad time, or being a nuisance. I much prefer e-mail. They can check when it's convenient, and I can make sure I have expressed myself the way I wanted to. I never call someone without a purpose. You will never get a call from me to 'just chat'. That said, I like having face to face conversations 'just to chat'. So, call me and invite yourself over for tea and then we can chat ;-)

8. I love historical romance novels and their movies. Jane Austin, Elizabeth Gaskell - bring it on! That said, I also enjoy a good war movie. Platoon, Band of Brothers... if there is a point to the violence, and explores some of the issues of war, I will enjoy it. That said, I tend to dislike movies where the characters get away with things I think are bad life choices or are ethically wrong.

9. I wish I was a more sanguine, fun loving person. Every personality type has it's positive and negative qualities. For me, I think I am too serious sometimes. I have to make a conscious effort to 'have fun' and let go a bit. I usually am happy that I forced myself to have fun ;-)

10. I once had a high school teacher make a comment on my report card that he 'enjoyed my dry sense of humour in class'. What an odd thing to put on my report card! I actually had to go and ask him what he meant! I had never heard the phrase 'dry humour' before and had never thought of myself as having it. I bet he had a good laugh about that conversation later on!

11. When I was in nursing school, we talked about the concept of 'unknowing'. I thought it was airy fairy BS at the time and paid little attention to it. One of the older students really got excited about the concept and I remember thinking 'is he seriously into this?!' I think in that instance, age and life experience were necessary to understand that concept. Now that I work in a small hospital, and encounter people I 'know' from daily life, I have to practise that concept continuously. I need to meet each patient in a fresh place. I can not make assumptions about them based on the gossip I've heard or impressions I have had in other encounters, or prejudices I may have without realizing they are there. I now understand why we had to spend a whole (painfully long) class on that subject.

12. I am a life long learner. I love learning and thinking about new ideas. If it paid well, I would happily go to school for the rest of my life! I just came across a quote on one of those cheesy motivational office posters. It said "A mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains it's original dimensions". Unfortunately, that snippet of truth did not have a cited author. What a great phrase though, eh?!

13. I love to dream. By that, I mean I love to say "What if".... and then actually plan how I could make it happen. I think through the obstacles, gather info on costs or availability, look at all the options etc. Then, I just let the idea sit and I wait until the time is right to act on it. My favourite 'dreams' right now are 1. renovating the basement, 2. moving away from Alberta, 3. going to Disneyland with my family.

14. I love that my Husband likes to dream with me and will listen to me plan through things.

15. I don't hate cooking, but I don't love it either. If I know what I'm going to make, and know I have the ingredients on hand, then I can tolerate making it. I like looking through cooking magazines and anticipating how yummy the meals will be. I find that motivates me to cook.

16. I'm not a baby person. I don't love cooing at them or holding them. I love my own kids, and thoroughly enjoyed them as infants, but I don't seek out other babies - and I can easily resist melting over the ones I do encounter.

17. I recently heard on CBC radio that the tailing ponds of Ft McMurray are leaking - on average - the equivalent of 8 Olympic sized pools worth of contaminated water into the underground water table DAILY! When I heard that, I felt like I was going to throw up. I seriously started to gag. I am so incredibly angry that this can happen - and continues to happen! What is wrong with Alberta!?!?! How can we let any industry corrupt and poison our resources and people!?! Since moving to Alberta, I have been called a tree-hugger (yes, I have proudly hugged a few trees in my life) and I have been called 'the environment lady' by the man who carries my groceries to the car. By westcoast standards, I am a very moderate environmentalist, out here, I'm radical! How funny and totally upsetting is that!

18. I love photography. I'm not an artist in the medium, but I sure enjoy it. I'm glad I have cute kids so I have an excuse to take lots of pictures!

19. I scrapbook, but I don't love doing it. I feel obligated to do it for my kids, and I understand that it is a wonderful gift for them and will mean a lot to them one day. I do it for that.

20. As I am an RN, it is probably not surprising that I like to help people. Growing up, I remember hearing about 'spiritual gifts' and I never really knew what mine were. I am thinking now, that helping and encouraging are the areas where I best feel that God is working through me. Those are things that show love to to others, and God IS love, so it makes sense that helping and encouraging others leave me feeling peace and joy.

21. I love learning new words. I may never use them in a conversation, but I love learning odd and obscure words. It's fun to try to break down a word I don't know into it's root and try to figure out what it means.

22. I like to fold clothes. How mundane it that! I find it relaxing, and seeing the neatly folded stacks of sorted clothes is oddly satisfying. I tend to procrastinate over putting the clothes away though. They often sit, neatly folded, in the laundry baskets for days and days before I finally put them away. I tell myself it is to force me to wear more of my wardrobe.

23. At work, I avoid dealing with families of patients whenever possible. I am not completely sure why. I think it is in part because families can be such messy things - like an unmarked mine field. I never know when I'm about to detonate something that it would be easier to leave buried underground. This is also true of how I relate to, and think of my own childhood family.

24. I'm running out of things! Hmm, on all of the chain letters I ever get, there is always the question 'chocolate or vanilla'. I am definitely a vanilla person. I love vanilla. I like chocolate, and I eat my fair share of it, but I rarely crave it. Vanilla, now that I crave. I love Tetley's Vanilla Earl Grey tea. That satisfies my craving most days.

25. I have a small collection of porcelain mugs. They are like fancy tea cups that hold a bit more and have a bigger handle. I love drinking out of them. I love the 'tink' they make as I stir in my cream, I love how delicate they feel against my lips, I love their beautiful patterns. I also love that something so minor and insignificant can make me smile every day.