SEASHELL NELL

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40 question FEELINGZ DUMP

Are you reading the online Verily magazine yet? If not–start, yo. 😉 PEER PRESSURE. Lots of good stuff about life and fashion and love.

They had this one article with 40 questions to ask yourself about 2015, which I’ll be answering here. Why not? Hop in and answer any in the comments, too.

I’m going to do this in two posts over two days…just to keep things interesting…ish.

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1. What advice would you have given yourself on January 1, 2015?

“You’re going to make it, love. Also—you get a new job—so breathe a little.”

2. Describe your year in three words

Kicked in teeth.

Ha!
Does that count?
I’ll go with: Desolation, stretching…and hope.

3. What is one thing you learned about yourself?

This one tripped me up for a hot second. I guess that: I do perform valuable work.

4. What single achievement are you most proud of?

I thought about this one for a long time. Days, really. I was like, “Well, I ran that half-marathon…and I sewed those pleats…” but, really, I’m thankful (I’ll say that instead of “proud”) that I was able to stick to things like prayer in the midst of hard times and transitions, yo.

5. What good thing happened that has never happened to you before?

I guess this gets into da nitty-gritty real quick…but, I was in a nice relationship for a while, there. (Note: it’s over now, does that negate the answer? I don’t think it does. That was a part of my life, and I lived it.)

6. If your life this year were turned into a film, what genre would it be? Drama, rom com, adventure?

Here’s the beautiful thing about real-life–it’s too hard to pigeonhole. My life is a drama, but there were a few rom com moments (like meeting-the-fam in Mexico, for instance), and some adventure as well (hi, I now work even more directly with the impoverished off of the streets of Detroit). Adventure, I tell you! <3

I PATTED A BABY KANGAROO.
I PATTED A BABY KANGAROO.

7. Recount 3 of the best compliments you received this year.

Okay. Wow.

(1) When I left my old job, some of my old coworkers assembled a FLASH MOB for me. Really. It was surreal. There was music and dancing and signage. Did I ever tell you that? It’s true. And, I think, a compliment of my time thereabouts.
(2) On a note I received, the verses “Wisdom 7:7-8” were written at the top. Reading those was lovely.
(3) I realize that I’m doing this in a roundabout way, by reading deeply into actions, but, that’s just how I’m going to live. One of my 2015 blog-posts was shared thousands of times. Someone wrote, “You won the Catholic internet” on that post. Now, I don’t strive to be the most popular author or anything. But, it was nice to get that feedback.

8. Describe your favorite place you visited.

I’d probably have to go with Mardi Gras? Does that seem hard to believe? I didn’t go to the raunchy places, just the ones with PARADES and LIVE MUSIC and PEOPLE WEARING ALL DA COLORS. Such life!

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9. What (or whom) are you most thankful for?

Yo, I’m thankful for so many of my people. But, this award might have to go to a one Father Ryan, the dewd I called/ texted when I was at my lowest points. The dewd who was like, “I’ll pray over you right now. For an hour, if you’d like.” The dewd who was like, “You’re still worth loving, you know,” after I told him other things. Cheers to this.

I know I don’t deserve this generosity. But I am grateful for it.

10. Whom in your life most surprised you this year?

Shout out to my cousin, JOHANNA, who is rocking IL with art and lovin’!

Maybe I’m not all that surprised.

I always knew you were the babe/ model everyone is telling me you are. 😉

11. Did you overcome any fears?

I faced a few. Holler at that half-marathon. Holler at my trip to Mexico.

12. Name your best career- or school-related achievement.

I started this spring on that interview circuit. Weird. Awkward. So similar to dating in a not-good way. *Stares in a moment of awkward silence across a table at a stranger* Ha!! ANYWAY. Really just by the grace of God, I got a new job. And it pays me more. It’s not as cool on paper, but I navigated interview/ new job/ transition/ talking through benefits and stufffffff so, I’d say: that.

Joe holdin' mah pig.
Joe holdin’ mah pig.

13. How has your relationship with yourself changed?

Super intense, Verily, super intense.

Thanks for this toughie.

I think it’s this: I generally consider myself an optimistic, happy person. But, this year had hard things. Like, real hard. Like, “Hey, heaven, the silence is for what?” hard.

And, in that darkness I realized: yo, this is a part of me, too. I’m not just a happy person in a funk. I can be a person, a true “myself” in hard times, too. And that’s good. I can do it. I am fully myself there, too.

So, really I just learned a new depth of myself.

14. How has your relationship with your family changed?

Relationships are always growing. And, if we do it right, we are always growing, too. I think this year I tried to think of my family members less as family members and more as people. Like, yo, you’re here and in my family, but you’re also an individual with quirks and fears and stuff. How do I respond to all of that, friend? How do I take these things into consideration, too?

15. How have your life goals evolved?

Have they evolved?

I think maybe this–I realize that I’m not 22 or 23 or 24 anymore. I’m 28, ya’ll. And I feel like I have less time to invest/ waste on interactions I don’t want.

Maybe.

The twinz eatin' DOUGHNUTS.
The twinz eatin’ DOUGHNUTS.


16. What was your biggest disappointment?

Eh. I got in a car accident with a median. And my insurance went up.

I think that there’s still a ding on my car from this accident and I’m weighing if I want to take it in to the shop or not.

On one hand, I have full insurance.

On the other hand, that was a long time ago AND I don’t want to have my car in the shop AND I don’t want my insurance to go up AND I just don’t care all that much.

ALSO, I attended a few weddings where there were no good dancers for me to dance with, EVEN THOUGH there was good music.

KILL THIS DANCER-HEART.

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The end!!

BUT NOT.

Stay tuned for more excitement (maybe?) tomorrow!

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