12 Things about Me

Life in our house is a little crazy right now. My husband is participating in a clinical trial for lung cancer at the Mayo Clinic to treat. One of our daughters has been dealing with her own medical problems, so I thought I would do something different this week by sharing 12 things about me.

1. What does your ideal day look like?

My ideal day would begin with me waking up to a quiet clean house. I would have a strong cup of coffee and spend the day writing. At noon, I would go to lunch with my daughters and have happy hour sushi at Hajime. I would end the day as I always do, snuggling in front of Netflix with my husband.

2. What did you want to be when you were younger?

I’ve always wanted to be a writer. Always.

3. Who would you love to meet? What would you ask?

I would love to meet my husband’s maternal grandmother. She died long before I married my husband so I never had the opportunity, but I feel as though I know her because of all the stories her children and grandchildren tell about her. She was an amazing woman. I have often been told, “It’s too bad you didn’t get a chance to meet her. You would have loved her.” I would just ask her about her life and for stories about the family.

4. What habit would you most like to break? What habit would you most like to start?

I often feel like I talk too much and listen too little. I would like to reverse those.

5. Think of a person you truly admire. What qualities do you like about that person?

There are so many people I admire. One of the things I admire the most in some people is the sweet, peaceful spirit. Not being cynical. I suppose you can find that in various walks of life, but especially spiritual people have this peace. When I spend time in the quiet, I feel that way. I suppose because rather than hearing the bad news of the day, I feel close to God. There is serenity in that.

6. How do you like to relax?

I like to do some sort of hard work and expend a lot of energy to the point of sweating and feeling fatigued. Then, I take a nice hot shower and get into some comfortable clothes. Then I sit in front of a fan and write. I did this today, so it is the first thing that came to mind. I feel quite relaxed, now.

7. When was the last time you did something you were afraid of?

This past couple of weeks, I have been walking through the valley of the shadow of death. I’m not supposed to fear evil, but I admit I do. We had to hospitalize one of our daughters. At the same time, my husband is beginning an experimental course of treatment at the Mayo Clinic. I feel overwhelmed and afraid.

8. What qualities do you admire in others?

I admire kindness. I’ll give you an example: Today I was at Walmart in the beverage aisle. I needed to get some low-cal Gatorade, and for some reason, it is always on the highest shelf. I’m only 5’3” with the best posture I can muster, so I’m trying to give myself a post by stepping on the lowest shelf while grabbing the highest shelf with one hand so I don’t slip. With the other hand, I grab a Gatorade. I have to repeat this ridiculous display for every bottle I grab. A woman came around the corner and chuckled. “It’s a hard life for us short folk ain’t it?” she says with a smile. Just then a very tall black man with beautiful long dreadlocks came around the corner. He must have been over 7 feet tall. “Let me help you with that,” he said. Relieved, I let him fill my basket with the bottles I needed. That one little act of kindness is still making me smile. People who take the time to do something nice for a stranger are becoming harder and harder to find. I think it’s because our society is so busy.

9. What is your favorite song? Why?

I Love Everything About You by Darlene Zschech

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUDK8BRfZ_g

This was the song we had sung at our wedding. It still describes how my husband and I feel about each other.

Catch a Falling Star by Peri Como (Sung by Jane Morgan)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPebTHj98zo

It’s just fun and it always makes me feel happy

10. What excites you?

I get excited by cultural experiences such as museums, concerts, displays, etc. I love unusual things, new things, things that open my mind to a new way of seeing the world. Any opportunity I have to learn something new, I grab it. Recently between appointments at the Mayo, my husband and I took a tour featuring the art and architecture on the medical campus. We learned a lot about works of art that people pass every day on the way to get answers about what means the most to them–their health. The Mayo recognizes the benefits of art to the healing process.

11. What do you wish you did more of?

Exercise. I know it would be good for me and I even enjoy it. Unfortunately, there is a fine line between good exercise and a rheumatoid arthritis flare. Those flares stick in the back of my mind, so I subconsciously fear exercise. Xi gong is helpful, but I haven’t made it a habit, yet.

12. Pretend money is no object. What would you do?

Travel. I would travel everywhere! I would take my family and see the world.

Now that you know 12 things about me…

I would love to know how you would answer some of these questions.

What are YOUR thoughts?

I’d love to hear in the comment section, below. I appreciate my readers as well as the writing community. To show that appreciation, I use Comment Luv. Just leave a comment below and your latest post will get a link next to it. Thank you!

About Heather Erickson

I am an author, writer, and speaker and homeschooling mom of 3. Since doctors diagnosed my husband, Dan with stage IV lung cancer in 2012, I’ve focused my writing and speaking on helping cancer patients and their families advocate for themselves and live life to the fullest, in spite of their illness. My goal is to help people face cancer with grace. My books are available at Amazon.com:

The Memory Maker’s Journal 

Facing Cancer as a Friend: How to Support Someone Who Has Cancer

Facing Cancer as a Parent: Helping Your Children Cope with Your Cancer

I also blog about living with cancer at Facing Cancer with Grace.