So you’re building connection with your community via this #ResocializeYourMedia writing challenge. Once you’ve broken the ice with someone new, the next step is to share a little bit of your own personal history. Instead of crafting a long winded bio which touts your achievements and reads like a resume, why not share a shorter, more engaging post by sharing five lesser known facts about yourself? You may be surprised what you have in common with your readers!
I’ll show you mine if you show me yours?
5 Things You Don’t Know About Me Writing & Blog Prompt
1. I am still not sure what I want to be when I grow up.
I’ve always been indecisive (like a lot of Libras, see more on that in #4) and have changed my mind countless times over the years about my chosen profession. Growing up, I wanted to be a neuroscientist at one point (until I realized the extent of school I’d have to attend.) Then I wanted to be an oncologist, until it dawned on me that I’d be working with cancer patients, which would be emotionally overwhelming and just way too sad for me. During high school years, at my father’s encouraging, I decided that I would become an attorney, not just any kind, but a high powered, high fashion litigator with a zero tolerance policy for bullshit (other people’s, not mine, obviously – lawyers need to have a pretty high tolerance for their own bullshit.) As I transitioned through career goals, I simultaneously moved from job to job. I started working full time at age 15, working for a public records research firm in downtown Sacramento, and attending school through independent study. After high school graduation, I spent a year working at two different restaurants (Italian food and Mexican food), which was awesome for building customer service skills, and great for keeping me fed, but not so great for my overall health as the fried ravioli and giant burritos called my name daily. Between 19 and 23, I worked as a blood center recruiter, an insurance broker, a real estate agent, a day spa receptionist, and a flight attendant. Over the years, no one questioned my career goals – after all, who doesn’t want to be a lawyer?
But when I met my future husband at a tiny little saloon on a Wednesday night in September 2009, my entire world shifted as I realized that some of the dreams I was holding onto were not really mine. As I described to him how I wanted to be a lawyer, with a focus on linguistics and body language, he listened intently, and then asked “…really?” He seemed genuinely perplexed at why I wanted to spend my life fighting with people. We started dating, and I moved to the beach, which I thought I would only do after I retired. I started surfing, and practicing yoga daily (which I’d neglected for years), and working at an art gallery. I began painting and writing more, and spending lots of time in nature. In 2012, I broke my back surfing, and had a realization: the only thing I REALLY want to do for my whole life is move my body: I want to dance on the waves, breathe deeply, climb mountains, adventure, explore, and help people heal through self awareness and movement. So, I committed to spending the next 3 years (which is now 5) pursuing my dreams of teaching yoga, surfing, paddling, and the joy of movement.
And here we are. I’m still not sure what I want to be “when I grow up.” I’ve been in and out of community college for 14 years, and I have 3 associates degrees in studio arts, literature, and liberal studies. Currently, I’m pursuing a bachelor’s degree in literature, because I just really love reading and writing, but I don’t know that I have a career goal with it (besides, of course, writing this book), but I swore to myself years ago that I would finish a bachelor’s degree, no matter what obstacles seemed to stand in the way. Who knows, maybe I will stay in school forever, go on to get a masters and PhD, and I will be a teacher. For now, I’m comfortable in the possibility of living a thousand lives within this one, and never really figuring it out. Figuring it out is overrated.
2. I am an oddly fast reader and LOVE books.
Part of me thinks I should aim to be a book publisher, because sitting around and reading manuscripts all day sounds like a dream. On the other hand, I want to read GOOD books, and I suspect that publishing entails reading a lot of stuff that sucks. Either way, I love to read. Like, when I was in second grade, we had a reading contest in which we got to keep a running tally of the books we’d read, and our reading list was mounted on the wall. By the end of the year, mine stretched around the room twice. Teachers (and my parents) have always questioned whether I am actually reading the entire book. I think I definitely skim some parts, and have even been known to just skip chapters if they bore me, but I still devour books at an alarming pace. If you let me into a public library, I never leave without a stack at least 8 books tall. I love everything from crime fiction to self-help and personal development. Curious about my favorite reads? Here are some authors, series, and books which I would recommend:
- Pendergast novels by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child
- Love Warrior & Carry On, Warrior by Glennon Doyle Melton
- Dark Tower series by Stephen King
- A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose: Eckhart Tolle
- Siddhartha: Herman Hesse
- The Great Divorce, Mere Christianity, and the Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis
3. I lived on a boat for 4 years – even though I couldn’t sail.
In 2012, my husband was active duty with the Coast Guard, and we got orders to move to San Diego. Knowing the rent was expensive, we had already decided that if stationed there, we’d buy a sailboat and live on it, instead of shelling out $1500+ per month for a decent one bedroom apartment. When we made this decision, I’d never been on a sailboat. In fact, we argued for a few months about the decision to buy sail or power boat, because I had this idea that living on a sailboat would be dungeon-y (it’s not, but it is very cozy.) Long story short, we did it: we took the plunge, bought a beautiful 1989 thirty six foot Catalina sailboat, and sailed it almost 500 miles from the Central Coast to San Diego. The harrowing journey was one of my greatest adventures – read more about that trip here.
4. I’m a Libra and the stereotypes are totally accurate.
Libras are known for being charming, beautiful, indulgent, and horribly indecisive. With the scales as our zodiac sign, we tend to be able to argue ourselves in circles as we can easily see and defend both sides of any decision. This can be a great quality, but it’s also a bit annoying at times. I googled stereotypes of zodiac signs and found this: Libra Stereotype: An indecisive and spacey idealist. Crazy.
Indecisive? Check.
Spacey? Haha, check.
Idealist? Most definitely!!!
Crazy? I don’t like this word. It’s loaded and not specific enough in it’s meaning. I’d say I’m definitely weird, out there, a bit kooky, but I think crazy is not a good word to describe me, unless it’s “crazy fun,” “crazy at parties,” or “crazy-sexy-cool.” (shoutout to all my TLC loving friends. what’s up, 90’s kids?!)
5. I was a wrestler and a cheerleader at the same time.
During the summer before my sophomore year in high school, my friend Nicole and I got into it with some of our guy friends about whether girls were capable of being as strong as guys. The dudes we were arguing with were on the wrestling team, and they swore up and down that we would not be able to beat guys in the same weight class as us. We fought back that with equal training, we’d beat the crap out of anyone they chose. The fight escalated into a serious challenge: they dared us to join summer wrestling camp, and try to win a place on the team. Never one to back down from a dare, I accepted (so did Nicole.) That summer, we went to cheer practice early mornings and evenings, and wrestling camp during the days. Despite being more sore than I’ve ever been, we got stronger and more badass, and by the start of school, we’d not only been accepted onto the wrestling team (which we declined), but also beat the crap out of a few same-size guys during a home wrestling tournament. Fearless feminist from the start, that’s me.
That’s five fun facts about me! If I were to keep going, I’d share that I read tarot, paint with acrylics, and am a total sucker for cheesecake and Mexican food (no, not together.) So, I want to know: what are five things that would surprise me about you? Share on your blog, instagram, or facebook! Tag #StokedYogi and #ResocializeYourMedia so I can check out your posts!
