11.
Learned to say “No” and “yes” – I’m not
a “yes” person – I’m actually a “no” person.
My first reaction is “no” to most requests, but now that I know that, I
try to wait, take the time to think through things and then make a
decision. Sometimes that pushing myself
to say yes to things, if there is no good reason to say no. Sometimes there needs to be a balance of
doing things for myself, for others, and just to face my fears.
12.
Asked for
help when I needed it – I’m an introvert and a control freak – a bad
combination. I’d prefer to clone myself
and get things done without interacting with others, but that’s just not
possible. Through the years, I’ve had to
learn that I cannot do everything on my own.
So now, I ask for help. The worst
they can do is say no. Usually I just
keep asking until they say yes.
13.
Found the
big dipper – I grew up in Pathfinders, a mixed gender scouting group by the
Seventh Day Adventist church. In
Pathfinders, we studied constellations, birds, plants and learned to appreciate
the great outdoors. I’m not a nature
fanatic, but I have basic skills and an appreciation for nature that started
with Mr. Jack and Ms. Joyce (our pathfinder leaders). I’m now reliving those experiences with
Jaelin in her first year in Pathfinders.
14.
Became a
voter - When I became a US citizen at 18 years old, I was still
indoctrinated by my conservative Christian high school (All Christians were
Republicans there). I’m still a
registered republican, but now I form my own ideas about who and what to vote
for, and in the last few elections, I’ve been happy and proud to take my kids
with me to experience democracy in action.
15.
Explored
a city on my own – I didn’t travel much as a kid, and my strict Indian
parents were not ones to let me go off on my own, even as an adult. But now, I get to travel to conferences occasionally
for my job or with Kumar and I get a wonderful feeling when I walk around a new
city or figure out public transportation on my own. It’s a feeling of
independence that I just love!
16.
Felt
comfortable speaking in front of a group – I’m an introvert, and for many
years as a kid, I hated raising my hand to give an answer in class. In college I took 2 public speaking classes,
and even when I graduated I felt nervous speaking in front of people. Now, at 40, I don’t particularly enjoy being
in front of a crowd, but I can speak in front of people when it’s necessary. Just knowing that makes me feel capable and
strong.
17.
Wrote and
shared poetry –I attended a lecture at the Walters art museum with a slam
poet, Gayle Danely. I’m not a poet, and
I can’t slam dunk or rap, but I love art so I signed up for this teacher
workshop. It was extremely interesting
and engaging and - I ended up sharing my poetry, which was way too stressful
for an introvert like me. This is so not something I imagine doing again, but I
did it once.
18.
Fixed
something myself - I have pretty good spatial awareness skills, and I can
read directions, so that makes me a little bit handy. I routinely hang pictures, put together Ikea
furniture, and occasionally fix the dishwasher or garbage disposal. They are little things, I know, but it fills
me with accomplishment when I tell Kumar, “It’s fixed – I figured it out” –
even if I just googled it.
19.
Won a
cooking contest – I like food. I
like cooking it, eating it, and watching other people cook/eat it on TV. The monotony of cooking breakfast, lunch and
dinner for my family every day can get to me, but cooking is not just a life
skill for me - it’s a hobby. And I have a group of cousins/friends who
take cooking to another level. I’m proud to be the 2008 winner of the “Cousins
Cook-off” against a crew of incredibly talented and competitive chefs.
20. Learned to sew – I just learned how to
use a sewing machine this year. It takes
patience, but it’s nice to know that I can hem Ikea drapes, clothes and
eventually make all sorts of other creative things with my new skill.
21. Learned to ski – As we reach middle
age, some people want to stick to what they are good at. I want to learn something new. Learning to ski wasn’t that hard. It was fun, especially with my kids. I think they liked learning something new
together.
22. Ran a 5k – I’ve never been an athlete.
I was the last person picked in PE all the time and I didn’t care. I was good at other things and developed
those talents. Now I realize that I need exercise to be healthy, so I’ve been
developing my skills as an athlete. I ran
a 5K about 5 years ago, and now I’m training for a 10k. We’ll see where this leads.
23. Practiced yoga – Yoga is patience,
balance and control. I’ve never been a regular, but I think it’s time to
be. Having a yoga practice helps me
physically and mentally. For you
extroverts who just blurt out everything you think, us introverts think too -
The mind of an introvert runs a mile a minute.
Yoga is way for me to clear my mind (because its hard to think and
balance at the same time).
24. Volunteered – This is a really great
thing about Christianity. If you are raised in a church, you are raised a
volunteer. In Pathfinders, in my
Christian high school, in college and in church, I’ve volunteered everywhere
and anywhere. I’ve rocked sick babies, worked in soup kitchens, tutored poor
kids in the city, and picked up trash on the side of road. Each of those experiences helped me realize
how fortunate I really am. Those
experiences also helped me gravitate towards a career that values helping
people.
25. Sponsored a child- Kumar thinks I’m a
sucker for this kind of stuff. I’m
actually pretty skeptical of most NGOs, but a few years ago, I heard WesStafford (then president of Compassion International) speak at a conference. I
was so taken with his story that I read his book and then ended up sponsoring 2
children from his organization. Wes says
its not the money, it’s the relationship that’s important, so I’ve really tried
to keep writing regularly to these kids.
I hope I’m making a difference in their lives.
26. Went on a mission trip – Not as a
student, but as a chaperone. Kumar and I
took a group from our Celebration church in California to an orphanage close to
Ensenada, Mexico. Although the group
generally had a good time, I didn’t find the mission trip very worthwhile. I’m not really a fan of short-term
missions. Jamie the very worstmissionary explains it best:
27. Never stopped learning - I love to
learn. In college I hung with a group of
friends who really expanded my ideas about race, religion and identity. Hearing people talk about their life
experiences, as similar or as different as they might be, makes me feel like we
are all connected. My favorite book
event is the LA Times Book fair, where I was fortunate enough to attend and sit
in lectures next to near Chitra Divakaruni and Salmon Rushdie
28. Found my calling as an SLP – It was a
path I didn’t plan out. I started out a Biology major (pre-med, like any good
Indian child), but I found myself switching majors in my junior year, and it
just clicked. I thank God every day that I found the career for me when I was
just 20 years old.
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