What do you want to be doing that you are currently not?

I would like to be retired from by day to day job.  I would like to be on a property in the country with my husband.  I would like to be in my home office, chasing the threads of family history, while I listen to the sound of my husband working on his classic Chevy in the garage.  I would like to have my dogs curled up at my feet, snug in a warm house.  i would lie to be planning my next road trip around the U.S., visiting the towns and counties where our families came from.

Who inspires you?

I have to admit, I’m struggling with this one a little bit.  I’ve never been one to idolize others.  I don’t have favorite actors, athletes, etc. I’ve have admiration for people who have been a part of my life at various times – teachers, colleagues, bosses, etc.  But I’m not sure I would say anyone continues to inspire me.  Is that strange? Maybe…

I would say more that I’m inspired by my goals and the work that I do – not by people.

I am inspired by mine and my husband’s long-term goals for our life together. We have very specific plans about what we want to have happen over the next 5, 10, 15 years.  We work together to gain the things we need (money, time, experience, access, contacts, etc.) to be able to reach those goals.  Our combined dedication to our future is the thing that probably most inspires me in my daily actions and the choices I make each day.

Inspiration for my work comes from the work itself.  I look for opportunities to find passion about the work that I do, whether it’s my professional work or my personal hobbies.  I cannot do work that I don’t find some reason to care about – it just is not in my nature to be disaffected about my work.  If I cannot find inspiration in the work itself, I will do what I need to do to get it done, but it will be only what is needed, not anything more.

I don’t know if this makes sense to others – but I cannot really find inspiration in others.  Humans are to fallible.  I find inspiration in relationships, causes, goals and shared experiences.

What do you look like?

I look like my mother, but with my father’s coloring. The more I age, the more my face morphs into hers.  At times it’s unsettling to look in the mirror or at a photo because her face jumps out of me.  It’s especially apparent when looking at me in profile.

When my mom passed away almost 19 years ago now, I didn’t see the resemblance quite as readily.  I always thought I looked more like my father’s side of the family, but maybe that’s because my hair/eye coloring dominates my appearance.  But as I watch myself age, it’s in the smaller details that she shines through in my features.

• The shape of my nose
• The roundness of my face
• The way my eyebrows arch
• The height of my forehead
• The shape of my chin
• The height of my cheekbones

It’s haunting to look at a picture of myself and see someone I miss so dearly looking back at me.