Easter Monday and I’m seated cross legged on the front porch with the sunlight soaking my bedhead hair … and marvelling at a once thought dead plant with a new orange bloom on it.
Yesterday’s winding drive over the mountains was four hours of a welcoming calm. I took my foot off the accelerator, cruised the countryside as my tunes shuffled and I imagined myself singing on stage with famous musicians.
I’m giving myself three days to work up a life game plan that covers the rest of the year, or the next two months. With the exception of where I live and my car I’m starting from scratch. So if the universe has any suggestions, I’m all ears.
In the meantime, it’s a Proust Questionnaire:
What is your idea of perfect happiness? Watching a bird in flight.
Which historical figure do you most identify with? The writer George Sand aka Aurore Dudevant.
Which living person do you most admire? Jane Goodall.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? Indulging a person’s whim.
What trait do you most deplore in others? Racism.
What is your favorite journey? Driving the 100 Road in Inishowen, Donegal. Standing next to the giant Buddha in Kamakura, Japan. Sitting outside under a furry blanket next to a firepit in Wanaka, New Zealand.
On what occasion do you lie? Mostly when I don’t want to hurt feelings … like when someone looks like crap, I tell them they look terrific.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse? My liberal use of the word ‘fuck’ is getting on my nerves. I’m working on it.
What is your greatest regret? The outcome of every single failed relationship.
Who or what is the greatest love of your life? Marcel, my stuffed monkey whom I’ve had since I was 9 – he’s currently chilling on the spare chair in my home office.
When and where were you happiest? Walking barefoot on a sun-warmed rain-drenched meadow on a private estate in Northern Ireland. The hardest time I laughed was with JB watching a scene from Bottle Rocket with Owen Wilson and Kumar Pallana.
Which talent would you most like to have? The ability to write Nobel prize poetry.
What is your current state of mind? A daily 5 second experience of sheer panic about my life followed by mindfully going about my day.
What do you consider your greatest achievement? Obtaining my degree and being there for my parents.
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Staying stupid.
Where would you like to live? On a small yacht with a good kisser.
What do you most value in your friends? Their humour and evolving stories.
What is your most marked characteristic? On-the-job Tenacity.
Who are your favorite writers? Jane Austen, William Shakespeare, the Gospels of Matthew, Vikram Seth.
Who are your heroes in real life? Anyone who holds a door open for a person in need.
What is it that you most dislike? Assumptions based on gender.
How would you like to die? On my own pillows.
What is your motto? C’est la vie.