My lifespective

I am a runner. I am a runner in the most amateur sense of the word. I’m not good at it because I run fast or far or win races, which I don’t, by the way. I’m good at it simply because I do it. I run now because it helps so much to relieve stress, but my original motivation, like many people, was weight-loss. Nine years ago, my husband and I decided to quit our 20-year love affair with cigarettes. Three months later, I had put on 15 lbs. so I started running. I never looked back.

I am also a writer. Had I not gone into computers, my second choice would have been to major in English. I recently heard a new saying, “You can choose what you do, but you can’t choose what you like to do.” I believe this also extends to the fact that you can’t choose where your talents lie. I’ve always done well in English; spelling, grammar, writing, comprehension, but I never understood why. It came easy to me. I barely had to study to get A’s. The same holds true for computers. I have no idea why, but the concepts and general workings just click with me somehow. I feel very fortunate to have been able to make a career out of it. Yes, that means I am a geek as well. To me, that is a positive term and I’m proud to be one! On the flipside of all of that, try as I might, I can’t get my head around most of the social sciences – politics, history, economics – just not my forte.

I have several other hobbies as well, but many fall by the wayside as time gets short. Beaded jewelry – I love the different stones and glass and metal beads. The possibilities are endless! Cooking – this is one that my husband and I share a lot. He is an excellent cook and comes up with a myriad of wonderful flavors. I simply like the act of preparation and cooking. I’m not great at creating recipes, but I follow them very well.

My favorite pastime, by far, is spending time with my family - my husband of 23 years and my pups. Forest, our 8-year old fawn Boxer, and Tiger, our 1 ½-year old brindle Boxer puppy, are our sons. We are what some used to call DINK’s – Double Income No Kids. Childless by choice. Don’t get me wrong, we love children. I just have very strong opinions about how I would raise mine and the fact that I wanted a career didn’t allow for that. We made that difficult decision many years ago and neither of us regrets it.

We have been blessed with many, many friends. Most close enough that we call them family. In the last 20+ years, we’ve had friends come and go and some come back and others we haven’t seen since. In this time, I’ve found that I have a serious interest in people and their behaviors – the things they do, how they act and react and, ultimately, where these behaviors come from in their past. Typically, it’s a result of their upbringing. I could say it’s always a result of their upbringing, but I, of course, lack the psychologist’s knowledge required to make such a definite statement. Basically, I find people interesting. Everyone comes from somewhere and everyone has a story. I’m interested in more people’s stories and I know others are as well. There comes a feeling of security in sharing your story and reading about someone who has a similar experience. Plus, there comes a new understanding when one learns about others’ trials and tribulations or accomplishments and successes.  This is my ultimate goal in creating this blog site. I hope it is a fun and maybe even insightful experience for you as well! Enjoy!

(July 2011, edited June 2012)