Questions for Strangers Answered by Me: How did you get here? - I walked, I ran, I wandered. It's sunday and idleness has taken charge. Do you have a nickname for your grandmother? Grandma Dot. It’s short for Dorothy- I love her so. Are you an outcast? Depends on where I am and whom I am with. In certain situations I like to pretend I'm more conservative than I am to avoid unnecessary tension, but I am more than comfortable with being uncomfortable, so the pretending happens less and less the older I get. I guess this makes me a social outcast. What or Who is your biggest influence? Travel has influenced me greatly. I have learned more experiencing other places and people than anything else. It keeps my eyes open and present and at the same time it grounds me. What is your most memorable dream? It was a dream I had several times throughout my life. A woman in a brown suit - who looks just like I do now - stands in a factory with a clipboard in her hands. She is terrified and there is a deafening hum. With wide eyes and a trembling mouth she says quietly at first and eventually louder “ok, ok, ok, ok, Ok, OK, OK, OK, OK!” What do you do to make yourself happy? I eat well - more vegetables than anything else. I dance, stand on my head, do yoga, listen to my innards, make stuff, take deep breaths, roll around in dirt, plant green things, provide free services, take an occasional nap, talk with good friends and family, and again stand on my head. Have you ever experienced hatred? There was once a young man who did horrible things to myself and other women in the town where I grew up. He also accidentally ran over an old friend and killed her. I hated him for years, but now I realize the people you hate the most are the people who are love starved. When do you experience boredom? On planes. Planes make me anxious and I despise being trapped. This combination makes it impossible for me to read, write, or sleep. I yuck planes. What have you lost? 2 dogs, 3 cats, 3 friends, 7 lovers, 345 socks, 19 hangers, and a Tunisian family What have you found? 2 cats, 1038 friends, 8 lovers, 8 socks, 3 hangers, and a Vietnamese family What is love to you? Art, laughter, foibles, good food, being open, speckled sun, reasonable compromise, eager ears, curry, touch, breath and dirt. How often do you pray? I can’t seem to fathom prayer unless something distressing happens, but I’m learning. What are you having for dinner? Greens from the garden, grilled chicken and quinoa salad. How did you meet your closest friend? She moved into my apartment after I left for India. When I got back, she rode on my bicycle handles over the Williamsburg Bridge. We laughed and laughed. How would you prefer to die? I would like the person closest to me at the time, to take my feeble body to the woods, tape foodthings to my back and allow a bear to devour me completely. What have you learned in the last two years? A little bit of Vietnamese and English. How to be humble. How to listen to myself. How to cope with heartache. How to fend off patterns. What have you learned in the last week? A little more about balance. How much I enjoy the sun. How much I need people in my life. How quickly I am to dismiss awful smells. Which word best describes how you feel at this very moment? Pink.
