saffronhare

Questions from

archway.

1. What do you feel was your first "Oh crap, I must be an adult now" moment?

I keep having those, and they keep surprising me. One of the big ones was when I first held and nursed eldest daughter. Another one was signing a mortgage.

2. How do you respond when you get nervous?

It depends on the situation. On the outside, I'll usually pretend not to be nervous. On the inside, I'll try to step out of the panic pattern and figure out what's happening and what to do about it. How I feel does not necessarily have too change how I'm behaving, you know?

3. What is the brightest memory you have of your oldest kidling?

I can't possibly rank them. One particularly bright memory from recent days is watching her sing. I've never been very good at singing, and I'm not a great judge of it, but she LOVES to sing and it makes me so proud to hear her lifting her voice. I cry almost every time.

4. Have you decided what you wish to do with your kid-free time?

I'm sleeping with my whole brain turned off (instead of having that little part remain awake to responde if anybody needs anything); I'm going to go out and do things. I'm going to eat cereal for dinner. More than anything else, I'm enjoying that I don't have to be The Decider for anybody but myself.

5. What is the best sure-fire pick-me-up song in your world?

Pretty much anything boogie-able will cheer me up, get me outta my head and into my body. There isn't any particular music that I put on when I want to cheer up, though I'll often choose music to explore a particular mood, if that makes any sense. When I was a teenager (and a long-distance runner), my mother would play the song with lyrics that said, "Ain't nothin' gonna break my stride." I loved it, and it still makes me smile.