Tag: dailyprompt

Are you more of a night or morning person?

Depends.

I can do either routine as necessary, but given a choice when it comes to my work and obligation schedule, I would definitely prefer something geared toward night owl hours. I seem to function better when the rest of the world is unconscious. Take that as you will, but it’s just how I operate. 🙂

What’s the hardest decision you’ve ever had to make? Why?

For various reasons, I was the healthcare proxy for my best friend, which means that I had to make medical decisions for him in the event that he became incapable of doing so for himself. That type of event happened, and I had to choose whether or not to discontinue life support.

I don’t know if I have the ability to properly communicate the weight and severity of making that decision. I had agreed to being his proxy, because I wanted to help him, and I hadn’t put much thought into the situation I may (would) later find myself in. He asked for my help, and I would do anything for someone I consider a friend.

We had spoken a great deal about this kind of thing, even before the proxy thing came up. We would sit around talking about random things like, “would you rather be deaf or blind?”, or “cremation or burial?” or “what’s the worst way to die?” and discuss various related topics that emerged from our somewhat morbid conversations. We both agreed that we would not want to be on life support for an extended period.

Death sucks, no matter what the situation. But if you add in the ability to impact (in these types of cases, hasten) the timing of death’s arrival, that little bit of control adds an entirely new dynamic to the situation. You realize that, essentially, you have control over the life of another living, breathing human being. That blows your fucking mind, flat out. And it throws you into this crazy tailspin, feeling guilt for wanting to say yes, guilt for wanting to say no, the anticipation of the crushing loss that you will feel if you say yes, the desperate hope of some miracle if you say no.

I thought that I would be able to be strong and pull the plug and honor his wishes. I failed. I could not bear the guilt, the loss (that I endured anyway, mind you), or knowing that I would be giving the order to take the final action that would cause his life to end, even if I had nothing to do with how he got there in the first place. The fact of the matter is, I let my best friend suffer longer than he had to, and I will regret that for the rest of my life.

Do you or your family make any special dishes for the holidays?

Aside from the staples of most holiday meals – turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, etc., my mom and grandmother would always make date and nut bread for the end of year holidays. It is so good, and can be a meal all on its own.

I’ve made it twice, but get discouraged because it’s not as good as I remember when I make it. I have the recipe, just not the decades of experience.

If you didn’t need sleep, what would you do with all the extra time?

This is too funny. A while back, i wrote This and This, and then, this prompt pops up!

I would write more, I would draw more, I would spend more time researching things that interest me. Basically, I would become an eccentric intellectual recluse, keeping company mostly with books, notebooks and my dogs. I would strive even harder to understand everything I could about the world and the universe, and everything contained within them.

Do you trust your instincts?

Probably not as much as I should, but likely more often than most do.

I posted recently about Gut Feelings, and it’s so fitting today because today was a reminder that gut feelings don’t always scream at you, or even, sometimes, talk above a whisper. But this is the importance of being quiet so you can listen.

I had to get dog food this afternoon. I got ready to leave, and had this nagging little voice in my head saying it could wait till tomorrow. I shushed that voice, thinking it was that of procrastination and laziness. And i left. Less than three minutes later? Hello, accident.

I now don’t have a car, but nobody was injured, and that is the important part. The rest? Insurance, cars, traffic disruptions… what the fuck ever. The other chick and I walked away unharmed. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and we both have something to be thankful for.

The lesson here, for me, at least, is to fucking listen. Don’t make assumptions about what your mind or body is telling you. Even a whisper can be important.

What is good about having a pet?

Honestly, the list is huge but I have to say the best part is experiencing the love and sometimes hilarious personality of someone who can’t speak in words and yet communicates so clearly. It’s an entirely different language that you learn in real time while getting to know your pet. It’s just an amazing experience.

Name the most expensive personal item you’ve ever purchased (not your home or car).

Given the criteria of not being a house or car, and the addition of it being a “personal item”, I would have to say cell phone or laptop. I have also purchased appliances and lawnmowers and such, but I don’t consider them personal. I am not inordinately attached to my refrigerator. 😉

What’s something you believe everyone should know.

That it is impossible to actually know anything.

We can know things, but it’s always with a caveat. It’s what we know at that time. it’s what we have the capacity to know given our limited senses and frames of reference. It’s what we have the ability to understand.

A person can only know something with absolute certainty if they know everything. And it is impossible that a human being can know everything.

We accept and say that we know things because we know them with a high degree of certainty. But the truth is, we never really know 100%. This works, to an extent, and is necessary for us to function in any sort of efficient manner. But, because we can’t know everything, we should always keep in mind that we don’t actually know anything.

Keep an open mind and learn everything you can. You’ll never learn everything, but it’s a great experience to try to.

What alternative career paths have you considered or are interested in?

Oh good grief, what haven’t I considered? And for the record, that consideration is for a primary career path, which I believe is a prerequisite for having an alternative. And should I end up with a primary career path, I would think the alternative would be on the list of those already considered. Or not, who the hell knows?

Here’s the list, in no particular order:

Particle physicist, astronaut, veterinarian, anthropologist, drummer, tattoo artist/piercer, surgeon, emergency physician, neurobiologist, CPA, forensic accountant, think tank member (don’t know what that’s actually called), financial advisor/advisory business owner, mathematician, theoretical physicist, cardiologist, paleontologist, massage therapist, author, philosopher, poet, game tester, actress, therapist, technical writer, editor.

*takes a breath*

I have, apparently, considered lots of different things covering many different fields, but so far I’ve wound up focusing on none of them long term and just learning lots of different things in the process.

Currently, I am essentially a professional problem solver, though that is not my formal title. I don’t have a career path, per se, because I haven’t chosen an area that I want to spend the rest of my life focused on. I think there are far too many fascinating things in the world to pick just one to focus all my energy on for extended periods. There is so much I wouldn’t be able to learn if I did that. And that would make me sad. And screw that, nobody wants to be sad.

I suppose my optimal career choice would be student. I can be a student at the same time as doing what I need to do to support myself. The two are by no means mutually exclusive.

So, yeah. That. 😝