I am honored to have received the Sunshine Blogger Award nomination from two lovely bloggers; Lauren, of Lauren M Hancock Poetry and Prose, and Ahiri, of AhiriCreates. Thank you, Lauren, and thank you, Ahiri.

I’ve been following Lauren for a while now, and love the poetry and prose that Lauren creates; and, though I’ve only been following Ahiri for a little while, I am truly blessed to have found Ahiri’s site, which is full of inspirational content. Both, amazing bloggers! If you’ve not yet checked out their sites, please do so. Thank you.

Alright, here we go. Rules first.

1. Thank the blogger who nominated you and link back to their blog.
2. Answer the 11 questions sent by the person who nominated you.
3. Nominate 11 new bloggers to receive the award and write them 11 new questions.
4. List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo in your post and/or your blog.

Lauren’s Questions

1. How do you deal with regretful situations?
   1. I don’t spend a lot of time in a regretful state today. However, that was not always the case. At one time, regretfulness was a state I spent a lot of time in; yet, I was unaware, which means there was quite a lot of pain. Today, if a situation occurs that feels not so good, I inquire right away, and if there is something I need to take action on, I do so immediately. 
2. What is a joyous moment for you?
   1. The birth of my two beautiful sons. Both moments that were completely joyous, and paradoxically so, stressful! They are amazing young men.
3. When you’re inspired to write, is it in a frenzy or a controlled manner, how do the words flow onto the page?
   1. Depends. Sometimes the words just pour out; and they might start pouring out when I’m driving, which can be challenging! I’ve learned to take notes throughout the day as insights occur. At other times, the process is more gradual. Meaning, I’ll have a concept in mind, will pull up a document, and see if anything comes. Usually the words do come; yet, sometimes they don’t. I’ve learned both are okay.
4. What is the most important object in your life, and what significance does it hold for you?
   1. Hmmm. I have some photos and artwork in my apartment, which all hold significance for me. Pictures of the boys, spiritual and devotional pieces, and then a piece of artwork a good friend of mine made for me. The significance is that there is a person or concept behind each pic or piece of artwork that I love, and they hold a special place in my heart.
5. Are you a coffee or a tea person?
   1. Tea, please. 🙂
6. What would be your ideal way to enjoy a Sunday?
   1. Meditating, writing, walking, enjoying time with people I love.
7. Name one hobby that you enjoy and why.
   1. I love to write! Hahaha. Alright, something other than writing. Let’s see. I love to hike and work in my garden. That’s two!
8. Share a treasured memory of yours?
   1. The one that comes to mind was a family trip we took in 2013 to the east coast. The boys were much younger then, and we spent 10 days in Philadelphia, Washington DC, and New York. As a west coaster, I’ve not spent as much time on the east coast, and I love it. We had a grand time.
9. Name a favourite song of yours from a musical.
   1. I Dreamed a Dream, Les Miserables.
10. Would you consider yourself an extrovert or introvert?
    1. Both! I love people, and love being around people; yet, as a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP), I have a deep internal life, which is very important to me. Meaning, I need time away from everyone and everything. Time to pause, breathe, and reflect. 
11. And does this affect the way you write for your blog?
    1. Oh, yes, absolutely. For me, internal processing, introspection and contemplation, the stillness and quietness of our beingness, is where creativity and innovation reside. 

Ahiri’s Questions

1. What’s your reason behind diving in the ocean of Blogging?
   1. When the pandemic first started, I began to look for another creative outlet, as work at that time was a little slower (that, as you all know did not last long), and it had been several years since completing my graduate studies, and I was longing to write. Write about my practical experiences. Thus, blogging started for me. It’s been an amazing experience, and I love blogging more today than ever before.
2. The most favourite book of yours and WHY SHOULD OTHERS GIVE IT A TRY?
   1. Ah! This is a hard one; I’ve read so many books. Hmmm. I’ll need to choose two. Here we go.
      1. The Bhagavad Gita
         1. Why?
            1. The Gita is one of the most profound books I’ve ever read and experienced. I use the concept experience intentionally, as the relationship to the concepts and content within the Gita to everyday life is profound. For me, reading the Gita is an experience of life, all aspects of life.
      2. The House of Spirits
         1. Why?
            1. First, it’s a book I’ve read recently; second, because Isabel Allende is a master of language. The House of Spirits, though quite violent in parts, is one of the most elegantly written books I’ve ever read. 
3. Tell us something which a lot of people think about you is true but actually isn’t that true
   1. When people learn what I do for a living, working in Educational Leadership in higher education, they sometimes assume I followed the “traditional” pathway through school, which is not true. I spent 16 years in the private sector before going to University at 33, and didn’t finish my degrees until I was 42! 
4. Which do you favour the most: Solo travelling or Group/Family travelling?
   1. I’ve not done a lot of solo-traveling; yet that is now changing. As I wrote about in a post a couple of weeks ago, I have a three-year plan to visit places I’ve always wanted to see and experience – Europe, India, and Japan, which starts next year! 
5. One of the most impractical imaginations of yours you wish could be somehow fulfilled?
   1. I am living out all of my dreams and creating the necessary activity to realize the ones on my imaginations list! The one that comes to mind most right now, is living in another country. That will likely happen in the next 5’ish years; and, I would like that country to be India. 
6. Is there anything you still regret for, that you’ve done?
   1. I’ve worked through a lot of regret in the past 4 years; so, today, there is nothing that I am present to that I regret. However, I am always discovering new aspects of myself. If regret does arise, I inquire into the regret, and work through the pain, whether that be grief, sadness, remorse, or whatever other emotion may be there. 
7. What are you: Mountain person, beach person or a forest lover?
   1. Ha! All three. I really do love all three; and, I also love the desert. Each of these landscapes hold a different experiential promise. And, I’m lucky enough to have lived in all three environments for considerable amounts of time. Alright, now that that is clear, the beach is my absolute favorite! 
8. Any moment/incident when you felt “Right now, I’m the luckiest one on Earth”
   1. Right now! Seriously, I consider each moment precious, a divine gift on this beautiful planet, getting to type into this document about myself, acknowledging two lovely bloggers for nominating me for this wonderful award. Lucky, indeed! 
9. What’s your next short term goal you’re working on?
   1. Regaining more range of motion in my left shoulder. As I’ve written about before, I was diagnosed with a frozen shoulder a few months ago, and have been in PT since that time. It’s slow going, yet my range is much improved and the pain has subsided a bit, which is great. 
10. Which is that place, you already have visited and wanna visit again?
    1. New York City, for sure. Though I’ve been there before, it’s been a long time, and I would love to spend time there exploring all there is to experience. Growing up in Los Angeles, means I have a special place in my heart for large metropolitan cities; and, though I’ve not lived in a large city for, well, over 13 years, the diversity and cultural richness of larger cities resides in my heart.
11. Do you believe in ghosts?
    1. I love this question, Ahiri! There is no way for me to not believe. Meaning, I have the visceral understanding today that we, as human beings, know so little of all that is knowable, so to not believe in ghosts would be folly. 

Wow! That was so much fun. I would like to once again thank Ahiri, of AhiriCreates, and Lauren, of Lauren M Hancock Poetry and Prose. Ahiri and Lauren are inspirational bloggers, and I do hope you will check out their sites.

As you all know, I don’t nominate individual bloggers for awards, as you are all inspirational and deserving. Therefore, I choose to invite each of you to respond to either Lauren’s or Ahiri’s questions if you would like.

Alright, have a beautiful and blessed coming week everyone!

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