First June Whip Around

[Nicole Wellman]

Happy Monday to you,

Over the past couple of weeks I have been thinking a lot about what makes me "me" and happy. I've been trying to separate out habits I've formed or things that I do because I want to hangout with people who want to do those activities, and things I do because I think I should.

So, on that note, I wanted to throw it out there to you all to pick one (or more) of the questions below to respond to this week:

1. What makes you feel like "you"? Or what always makes you happy?

Give us perspective on why it makes you happy or the history behind it.

2. Watch this TedTalk by Meg Jay (It is 14 min. and 49 seconds, so factor that in for timing)
http://www.ted.com/talks/meg_jay_why_30_is_not_the_new_20.html

It gives interesting insight into the importance of our 20s.
Something I was really struck with from the talk, though, was her point that most of our routines are formed by the end of our 20s.

Is there a routine you're proud of? Or a routine you want to establish/work on?

OR

Comment on anything that struck you in a fascinating or even irritating way from the TedTalk...

I hope you have a wonderful week!

<3

Nicole Wellman
- - - - - - - - - - -
wellman...@gmail.com
(602) 377-2910

[Jane Keir]

Hi Nicole!

 

Nice topic! Here are some things that make me who I am (in no particular order):

 

1. I love animals! I had a variety of pets growing up (rabbits, rats, dogs, cats, turtle, and I wanted a horse but that wasn't feasible). I assumed that I had all of these wonderful creatures because my mother loved animals, so I thanked her for having so many pets when we were growing up. She replied that it was all my doing. I guess I would just bring the animals home. One time I found a river turtle in the street so I rescued it, and I even found an injured Blue Herron and I brought it home and we took it to a bird rehabilitation center (it had been attacked by dogs - I scared them away with a stick). As a child, I thought my house was magic because I always found animals near by like they were drawn there (including baby skunks under the house, but I wasn't allowed to keep those). Last night I stayed up all night with my puppy because he was crying in his cone of shame. He was neutered yesterday but the pain meds weren't enough. I definitely can't stand the cries of an injured animal. I fed him by hand, gave him water by the spoonful, gave him biscuits, medications, etc. He went back to the vet today and they gave him better meds and he's feeling fine now...but I'm exhausted! This brings me to number 2

 

2. I love my sleep! I like to be outgoing. I love to make people laugh and I enjoy telling stories...but I also need my quiet time which I think surprises people. I love to spend time in bed either sleeping or just thinking. I love a good nap or just some quiet time to recharge. (I know so exciting right!)

 

3. I love swimming in the ocean! I grew up in San Diego and I love just floating in the sea and feeling the pull of the currents. I am pretty surprised that I decided to set down roots in a landlocked state, because being a beach bum was a big part of my identity in my teens and 20s.

 

4. I consider myself a poet. I love writing and performing poetry but I do not practice my craft consistently. I haven't written since I joined TFA, but I have a feeling that I will be writing again soon. I used to feel guilty because I don't write consistently, but then I heard an interview with Elton John and he admitted that he too has years where he writes a lot of songs and then dry years where he doesn't write at all. That made me feel better. I hope to start going to open mics in Denver soon to rekindle that part of my life.

 

5. I like to try new things and I am open to change. I love to try new foods. I love to travel and experience new cultures. I love to change jobs. I have been a professional nanny, a hostess/waitress, a sales girl, a health educator, a writer/editor, a researcher, a teacher, and who knows what's next. So far I'm loving being a teacher but I think next on the horizon is that I want to start and own my own business.

 

6. I love music and I love to sing! One of my dreams is to take singing lessons and overcome my fear of singing in public.

 

7. Love ghost stories (but I'm totally disinterested in aliens). I love to go on ghost tours when I travel and love scary movies (not slasher films, I can't handle the gore, but I like suspense and ghost story stuff). I like movies like The Shinning, The Skeleton Key, and The Others. I think I like the mystery of ghosts. It all started when I was a kid and we went to The Whaley House in Old Town San Diego which is a certified haunted house (whatever that means). I've toured haunted Savannah, San Diego, Denver, Atlanta, and someday I hope to tour New Orleans. Okay so I am feeling really nerdy now!

 

8. Last but not least...Tacos!

 

Nicole, I also want to hear what makes you you. :-)

 

With love,

Jane

 

 

    

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[Candace Burckhardt]

Hey! 

Wow - what an interesting topic to think about. 

Here is a list of what I think makes me "me". 

1) I am an only child - This is a huge part of my identity. I grew up without anyone to play with. My mom was battling severe depression throughout my childhood and my dad traveled 90% of the time for work. We moved a lot as a child, so I have often felt very alone (negative emotion) and also very independent (positive emotion). Being an only child and moving so often also helped me learn how to be flexible and quickly meet new people. I have no problem networking, and I find it easy to develop rapport quickly with people. The unfortunate side of this is a lot of my relationships with people can be very shallow. 

2) I love to travel - I have been to 48/50 states, and I am working on crossing off another one in September (Hawaii). I also love to travel internationally although I find it hard to get travel partners for abroad trips, but it is something I would like to do more of soon. I am always in the process of trip planning.  

3) I have a love of learning and change - I like to learn new things and people at my work always joke about how many random facts I know. I typically read a book a week for pleasure. 

Routines I am Proud Of:

1) Sleep - I usually get 8 hours of sleep a night. I can prioritize easily in order to get enough sleep, and it is very important to me. 

2) Relationship with my husband - We have a date every Friday, and this routine has been going strong for a year now. We have a fantastic relationship and this is largely because we know how to turn off work when we are at home and be with each other. 

Things I am working on in my 20s:

1) Being a business owner - I am trying to learn how this fits into my identity and how I can make time to help with my husband's business as well as what I am starting in my tikkun project while maintaining my other full-time+ job. 

2) Developing more meaningful and longer lasting friendships

Best wishes, 

Candace

[Jesse Fetbroth]

Hey all!

Jane, let me just say-- you know yourself very well.  And you are hilarious.

So someone recently sent me the Ted Talk Nicole kindly sent along (I'm looking at you, Jess Marker).  I'm guessing Jess sent to me because I think about what I want to do with my life from time to time, but I could be wrong...

Clearly I am kidding. If you have watched this Ted Talk (and if you haven't, I recommend it-- it's pretty interesting), you might have guessed that I found it completely fascinating and entirely unnerving (unless you don't think about me all the time like I apparently assume you do).  Meg Jay talks about how our society tends to view the 20s as a throw-away decade-- we think twenty-somethings can have fun, date inappropriately, and work random jobs without a clear purpose or path until they've hit the apparently much more serious period of their 30s.  Jay's point is that this is actually a pretty dangerous outlook to have because of how formative our 20s are-- this is when we really sort out our personal, professional and relationship goals and values, and the mindsets, behaviors, tendencies (whether they be dating the wrong people or working the "wrong" jobs) will carry over as we move into our futures unless we proactively seek to change them.  

In a lot of ways, I found this talk very affirming-- it was nice to know I'm not just a complete headcase, and that I should be thinking a lot about the kind of life I'm creating for myself right here and right now.  I also feel really good about the non-professional aspects of my life.  I think I've finally gotten to a place where I have a great relationship, strong friendships, etc.  At the same time, though, this talk also made me want to sit in my closet and eat my hair.  Meg Jay did make clear that she was not striking down "exploration in your 20s," but rather "procrastination in your 20s."  However, my immediate reaction was: the pressure is ON.  You need to figure out what you're doing ASAP because you don't have much of your 20s left and then it's all OVER.

Again, I'm (mostly) kidding.  But I couldn't help but think about the things I'm doing, or actually not doing, to get myself closer to figuring it all out.  I'm still trying to strike the balance between Meg Jay's guidance, and the guidance from the Sunscreen song that says "Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives.  Some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don't."

In other news, I'm still a basket case.  :)

Talk to you all soon!

Love,

Jesse

On Tue, Jun 4, 2013 at 11:17 PM, Jane Keir <keir...@gmail.com> wrote:

--
Jesse Fetbroth

781.696.8402

[Aaron Burgess]

Hmmm... What makes me.. me? Very interesting question. Especially as I am sitting here at JFK airport waiting for my flight to Moscow. I would say travel is a big part of who I am, but it goes deeper than that. I am always very eager to have new experiences, see and learn new things, meet new people, and explore everything this world has to offer. What makes me me is curiosity. 

This has manifested itself in many ways throughout my life. *Nerd Alert* I did science fair every single year growing up from Kindergarten to 11th grade. I kept seeing interesting things in the world and wanted to explore what made them happen. In college I changed my major 7, yes seven, times because I found so many fields interesting. (I finally settled on 2 degrees and a minor.) Throughout policy school I have been training as a generalist. And, you guessed it, am looking for jobs where the projects change every few months. 

The happiness part comes in two pieces. First, when I feel like i am growing. When I feel like I am learning. When I feel like I am experiencing new things. When I am out of my comfort zone. Second, when I am in my comfort zone. When I am with my family, and when I am with my friends. 

Aaron Taylor Burgess
University of California - Berkeley
Master of Public Policy

(720) 273-9993

[Marker, Jessica]

Hey gang!

 

So many apologies on my delayed response here – I’ve been at retreat after retreat these past few weeks, and while it doesn’t excuse my tardiness, my inbox is a little overwhelming to say the least :-/

 

Nicole, to your question – what makes you feel like “you”/what makes you happy? I was actually JUST reflecting on this on Sunday, when I went to my communities annual Mountain Play.  It’s a tradition that was started in our community in 1913, and this year was the 100^th anniversary for hosting a gathering of thousands on our local mountain for a musical/theatre extravaganza. For the big anniversary, they chose to do The Sound of Music.

 

I was excited for this for so many reasons. (photo attached)

1) Singing and performing has always been a great love of mine and something that when doing, or even when watching other do it well, truly makes me feel free and alive

2) While Jon and I have been together for 9 years, this is something that we had yet to share together, and in our big move back home, I was beyond thrilled to get to watch him watch this beautiful display of community and celebration in action

3) I literally started crying when Maria sang “The Hills Are Alive”

 

Reflecting how I felt on the Mountain this weekend made me realize how long it’s been since I myself sang or performed and how likely I am to deprioritize even watching others perform, yet, I know that seeing/doing this makes me feel incredibly alive and filled with joy – and I need to ensure that is a part of my life, always.

 

Missing you all!

Jess

 

Jessica Marker
Group Learning Leader
Teacher Support & Development, Execution
Cell: 415-377-5135
jessica...@teachforamerica.org
 

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[Marker, Jessica]

Whoops! Photo attached here J

 

Jessica Marker
Group Learning Leader
Teacher Support & Development, Execution
Cell: 415-377-5135
jessica...@teachforamerica.org
 

Hmmm... What makes me.. me? Very interesting question. Especially as I am sitting here at JFK airport waiting for my flight to Moscow. I would say travel is a big part of who I am, but it goes deeper than that. I am always very eager to have new experiences, see and learn new things, meet new people, and explore everything this world has to offer. What makes me me is curiosity. 

[Amy Berkhoudt]

Y'all. Mucho apologies for my late work. I'm in NYC in a big Huffington Post conference to highlight the Food Academy. Woohoo! In other news, We're hiring 6 new paid interns, one research assistant from University of Michigan, and we're preparing our students for a summer of market experiences throughout the city. Phew!

What makes me happy: sharing good food with good people and petting cats. 

I think my habits are secured in the way I eat, sleep, and work with people. I only eat things I love, I sleep very little (I'm at this conference with 10 other amazing social entrepreneurs and guess what? They all turn in at about 10 pm. I stay up till 2 on the regular!), and I enjoy working with everyone. One thing I'm learning to do is to not take myself too seriously. It's simply too exhausting to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. It's important to realize the world is carrying you. 

Amy

<Mountain Play.JPG>

[Nicole Wellman]

I just LOVE all of your comments and insights into who you are and what makes you happy. Love love love.

I'll finish the chain by noting a few things that make me "me" as well:

1. DANCE. I feel alive and so happy when I'm dancing. When I was in my dancing glory days, that meant intense jazz and modern training and performing--now, it mostly means whenever I break out in random dance in my car, around the apartment, or out on a weekend with the girls. I do really miss taking dance classes, and I hope that I can make that happen this coming year when I don't have night classes.

2.Relationships. It makes me happy talking and being with friends and family. I feel like myself when I am in deep conversation or uncontrollable laughter.

3.Water. Oh man- I love water. Being next to any kind of water makes me feel happier and safer and real. (Jane, I totally feel you about the ocean!)

Thanks for your responses, everyone!