Category: Prompts

Who was your most influential teacher? Why?

I love this question, and as usual, i have more than one answer!

Academically speaking? My physics professor in college – Dr. C. He inspired me to learn about string theory and particle physics, which has since turned into a lifelong thing.

Professionally speaking? My mentor, who I’ve written about before. I have learned so many things from him and because of him and have grown immensely as a result.

Personally speaking? My father. I won’t even start about how that man influenced my outlook, my work ethic, my behavior towards others, and my curiosity about the world. I’d be writing for days.

Generally speaking? Life – and living it. the good, the bad, the unremarkable – it all has the potential to teach us something. And I am starting to realize that may be the goal here. To learn as much as possible in the incredibly short time that we are here.

What is one word that describes you?

Kind.

What was the best compliment you’ve received?

Someone told me once that i was “intriguing and enigmatic”, and I always smile when i remember that.

What activities do you lose yourself in?

Wow, i like this question and not just for the lyrics it brings to mind!

Listening to music (duh!)

Creating, editing or analyzing spreadsheets

Writing sql

Writing

Drawing

Research, especially if i like the topic

Listening to or watching anything with a pattern to it, such as MRI machines, a newton’s cradle, a metronome, waves in the ocean…

Watching/listening to something with absolutely no discernable pattern, such as a fire.

Write a letter to your 100-year-old self.

Dear Laura,

Holy shit, dude, 100 fucking years! I remember when I didn’t think I’d make it to 25, much less four times that! A million questions in my head….I want to hear it all! what have you seen? What have you experienced? How have you changed? Did you enjoy your life so far? Are you healthy? Tell me all about the dogs I have later in life! Did I ever find another like Patch? Where have you lived? How many tattoos do you have now? Do you still have the lip ring?

How close are you to truly understanding? Were we – well, was I – right? about myself? about my core theories of the universe? Did you ever find that perfect frequency, or are you still looking? Did I ever finish those drawings, or are they still simmering in your mind? Have I gotten to see a perfect night sky yet? If so, what mysteries did it uncover for you? Are you still searching? Did you ever finish your books? Did I ever figure out The Point? I find myself wanting to ask “did we” or “are we” but there is no we, it’s just me. I’m talking to myself, like always, but this time, I was prompted to!

Anyway – retardedness aside, I want to tell you that I don’t know what you’ve been through after today, or what you have done or who you have become, but I know what you came from – I am what you came from. I want you to know that I am so incredibly proud of you. Hell, I’m proud of myself now for surviving this long, and you went and lived to see 100! Seriously, you fucking rock. Thank you for not giving up, and for giving me all those things I’ve yet to experience. i can’t say it enough: thank you, thank you, thank you. for being you.

Love, me

How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success?

What a loaded question!

Technically speaking, all of my failures – real or perceived – have led me to success of some sort, and it usually involves learning something, which is a success in my book.

However, i digress. I’m assuming the prompt is asking for a specific example.

I lost my job back in 2008 or 2009, in the wake of all the financial nonsense going on. I tried to get a job. I applied, and applied. and applied. A couple of times, i interviewed. Customer service, sales, factory jobs. I tried everything i could think of. Nothing. I was unemployed for over a year, maybe close to 2. As a last-ditch effort, I called a local temp agency. Temp work was a last resort, because i needed something long term, but I was desperate.

Less than a week after my interview at the temp agency, I got a call. A day later, I walked into the building I’ve been working at for the past 15 years, held several different positions and now spend my days solving problems for people, which is great.

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

“I never really thought of myself as someone overly interesting, but it occurs to me that that is a single (and possibly biased) opinion that may not be shared by everyone.”

What are three objects you couldn’t live without?

That depends. Are we talking “live” as in survive? to continue to exist as a being on this planet? or are we talking “live” as in, I have all of the elements needed for survival, but what do i need to really enjoy my existence? Important distinction. I will answer both.

For the first – A frying pan, a wooden spoon or spatula, and a knife of some sort.

For the second – a pen/pencil, and some sort of substance to write on. The third would be some kind of animal (preferably canine in nature) to talk to.

That’s the thing. life, as complicated as we make it, is really very simple when you boil it down. To survive, i need tools to prepare food or construct shelter. To enjoy my life, i need the ability to write, and a companion.

it really is that simple.

for the record – my father once told me that the human hand is the most sophisticated tool that god ever made. I have two tools to help me with survival built in to the “me” that is trying to survive!

What experiences in life helped you grow the most?

Well, that’s easy…. The painful ones.

Heartbreaking loss? Taught me that I am strong, even when I don’t feel like I can be.

Betrayal? Taught me the grace of forgiveness and the art of discernment.

Abject failure? Taught me that everything in life is an opportunity to learn.

The thing is, the good things in life – the shit we live for? They are beautiful, but they don’t help us grow and evolve as people. Think about it. Any time you get better at something, it’s only because you failed at it before but kept trying. The only reason you stopped (insert addictive behavior) is because you realized that it was destroying you/your family/your life. The only reason you know you are strong is because you’ve had to be. The only reason you’ve grown as a person is because you’ve experienced pain.

Do you believe in fate/destiny?

I don’t know.

While the romanticized idea of having a fated partner in life or a destined purpose for your time on this spinning rock is enticing, i kinda don’t buy it. There are far too many variables in a given day (much less a lifetime!) for there to be a single destiny for every single person, and for things to work out in just such a way to make that a reality.

In thinking about this, I had a thought that perhaps it’s more of a probability of probabilities. There’s way more than this, of course, but let’s assume that your life has 100 different ways it could play out. in 90% of them, you are what society would consider successful. let’s say that in 30% of that, you’re a photographer, 10% a teacher, 10% you’re self-employed. But in 50% of that 90%, you’re a doctor. So, that’s a 45% chance of you being a doctor, vs 27% for a photographer, or 9% a self-employed (insert random thing here).

I, like most people, am a big fan of the idea of free will. The ideas of fate or destiny don’t really jive with that. Because fate or destiny is based on the idea that if something is “meant” to happen, it will, and you can’t stop it. That’s deterministic. So – best of both worlds, right? Probabilities. Life may stack the odds in favor of one thing or another, but the choice is ultimately yours.