What do you wish you could do more every day?

If I wish to do something…I do it

I would say I wish I could sleep more, however when I have the opportunity to sleep in or take a nap…I don’t, so I believe that would be a falsehood.

I enjoy painting, coloring, drawing, gardening, writing, singing and dancing….do all as it suits me.

I like to read and learn, I like people and love talking with people…do this every opportunity I get but I think I do all plenty.

What is one word that describes you?

Tenacious

What was the best compliment you’ve received?

A patient I had who told me how sweet every other nurse she had was, and that she was glad they were coming after me. However when it came time to extend her care contract part time, she only extended on the condition that I was her full time nurse.

This same patient, also called me nicknames that I found out later had been her daughter’s nicknames growing up.

This meant the world to me.

What movies or TV series have you watched more than 5 times?

Tv: Ncis, law and order svu, friends, big bang theory, stranger things, Gilmore girls, outlander, Yellowstone, 1883, 1923

Movies: French kiss, the notebook, a walk in the clouds, serendipity, while you were sleeping, sleepless in Seattle, you’ve got mail, under the Tuscan sun, autumn in New York, secrets of the Yaya sisterhood, the sisterhood of the travelling pants, Jesus of Nazareth, king and I, it’s a wonderful life, white Christmas, fiddler on the roof, my fair lady, Mr Mr blandings builds his dream house, seven brides for seven brothers

I’m sure there are a hundred more

What is the last thing you learned?

The last 4 to 5 weeks, I’ve been going to Greek dance lessons.

I’ve been bad at the simplest step, however I’ve improved on it each time. When she teaches the variations of it, I’ve sat out and watched…the second variation has steps where you step behind them in front of yourself…my first several attempts at that I always messed it up…so when the harder variations came in (one you hop on the 1 and 4, one you do a four count full 360 degree turn, one you dance backward for half the steps) there was no way I was trying it.

Last night, Rania told me and the other gentleman who is having troubles with the steps that we could go behind the circle and practice the steps if we wanted, as the rest of the group did them…so we did. The gentleman in the group dropped out after the first attempt at the variation…I messed that one up but I kept going, I nailed the second one of that, the hop I’m not fantastic at but I have the concept down and I tried, the 360 degree turn I’m ok at, the backwards step I did ok…so I’m growing at this, albeit very slowly, last night I felt like there was a possibility that someday I could hang with the others, and I came home in a far different mood than in weeks prior.

A lot of the group I’m dancing go with attend church with me, I think the class is helping me to know those people a little better too, so I’m getting more than just dance lessons out of this.

Best,

A

You’re writing your autobiography. What’s your opening sentence?

She was pure love and energy wrapped in human form.

Do you believe in fate/destiny?

I’m not sure how I feel on these particular words per say…however I believe a lot of little things have to move a certain way in order for you to meet the people you meet, and I believe God puts people in your life for a reason…and he does so on his timeline.

The little man I’m dating, I didn’t connect with him in a romantic manner when I connected with him, I happened to have him as a waiter the evening my husband had me leave him in the ER and wound up in the ICU. (The hospital said it would be 72 or more hours to get him into a room and the er room he was in was tiny). My daughter and I had stopped for dinner after getting the oil changed on the truck, we happened to get him as our waiter…I went over the days events and my husbands cancer with him just as a matter of venting to another human being…he commiserated with me by telling me how his mother had not too long ago passed of cancer and how fast she went and how hard it was to understand or fathom…that stuck with me.

When my husband passed less than 2 weeks later, he was the only person I cared to tell about it. Something in how he talked to me that night had made him a trustworthy soul to me.

It was several months before anything even remotely close to friendship started, and even longer before anything past friendship blossomed.

I didn’t put that person in my life, I’d never met him before that day, however he was the kindest soul to me during one of the hardest times of my life…I don’t think that’s an accident…I think that’s God.

I don’t use fate or destiny as regular parts of my vocabulary, I guess I don’t see it that way. So no…I’m not sure I believe in those particular words.

Do you enjoy your job?

Every job I’ve ever worked, I’ve lived and given my utmost.

From the time I was 13-14, I was a babysitter and was the go-to for many parents in my church, it made me want to be a nanny.

When I was 16, I tutored a young girl from an elementary school within our district, I enjoyed that immensely and it furthered me wanting to be a nanny.

When I turned 18, I joined the US Army and loved it…to a degree. It was hard and it made me feel lonely at times but I learned a lot while in, and learned to love it, met people who still mean a lot to me years later.

While in Army, I went through nursing school and became an LPN, a profession I’ve worked about 20 of my 30 licensed years as. There were bad parts of the job, mostly to do with other nurses, bad work ethic, politics, drama, but when it came to patients, I’ve invariably always liked the job…even with those patients and families who others considered particularly challenging, I’ve always managed to find the positive there.

I’ve been a realtor for 11 years, it’s harder in today’s economy and costs me quite a bit to maintain my licensure, but I love being able to help others.

Last year after I lost my husband, I started a small business, working with social media early last year…it’s taken me several months to want to actually try at it, but I’m learning the ropes and hoping for the best, praying as I go and hoping it all pans out. It may be a while before I’m proficient or especially profitable, but I love a lot of what I see so far, from the coaching and support and the training that’s available on your own time. I’m sure, in time, I’ll learn to love this business too, I just have to get past the jitters of doing it and try…below are a few of the adverts I’ve been working on in my down time.

All the best,

A.