While I am hyperaware of a favorable lifestyle (living with my parents and all its perks), we all have a right to feel the way we feel without judgment.
(See, I’m on the road to recovery thanks to three years of consistent therapy.)
I’m frustrated and anxious about living with parents because rather than having the space and independence to keep thriving, I’ve reached a spot where I feel stuck in the proverbial mud.
And I don’t know how to dig myself out.
It’s a challenge to hole myself up in my tiny room where my coveted ‘flow state’ consists of listening to the dryer buzzing, the washer slushing, and a crystal clear news report on everything terrible happening in the world thanks to the acoustics in my parents’ house.
But I digress.
I opened my Medium app this afternoon to find this fantastic post by
Blogs by J
and thought I’d give it a whirl!
So bear with me while I brew a third cup of coffee, drown out the lively news reporter outside my door (with an inspirational ‘Coffee Shop Jazz’ playlist), and tap away like a mad scientist on a stormy Monday afternoon.
1. After using something around the house, do you put it back immediately after use or leave it lying around?
My daughter is more than welcome to use my beauty products; my son can work out with my weights anytime; I encourage them to take care of themselves and remind them I am forever and always here to support them with whatever they need.
In addition, I am passing down the value of not only putting things back in their place but leaving it in better condition than you found them.
Many years ago, I borrowed my ex-best friend’s car; she drove mine around for a week while my family and I took hers camping. I shined that puppy up real good with a thorough exterior wash and detailed the inside to express my gratitude for letting me borrow her SUV.
The next day, she returned my car with a thirteen-inch crack (yes, I measured) down the windshield, to which she had no idea how it happened.
I like to keep it simple: be kind and put things back where they belong.
2. Do you squeeze toothpaste from the end or the middle?
I am guilty of squeezing the tube from the center most mornings. But mindful enough to press the end and move the remaining toothpaste up to the top of the tube once in a while.
Hey, we’re all a Work in Progress, and that’s okay.
3. The million-dollar question. Do you peel a banana from the handle or the bottom?
I may have seen the latter done in a movie, but I can say confidently that I’ve never eaten breakfast with anyone who proceeded to peel a sweet, yellow banana from the bottom.
However,
Linda Ng
, you’ve piqued my slippery curiosity with this fruity question. I look forward to monkeying around with more of your thought-provoking questions!
4. Do you leave dishes in the sink overnight?
Absolutely not because I live with my parents and can’t bare the thought of my mom washing our dirty dishes at five in the morning when she’s trying to enjoy a cup of coffee because I know if I do, she will — and that’s not okay with me.
5. Your best subject in school?
English. I was late to class almost every day (it was my first period), but boy, did I thrive with those creative writing assignments! My teacher was downright tickled by my essays, to say the least.
6. How many instruments can you play?
I can’t shake the feeling that Linda wrote these ten questions specifically for me, which is what
Ayodeji Awosika
calls extraordinary writing (getting into the reader’s head).
I am thankful for that. I can’t put into words how much I needed this connection right now.
I’ll play any instrument I can get my hands on; I’m a creative, musical soul. However, how many instruments can I play well? One and a half; I can hold my own on guitar and keep a basic beat on drums.
7. Yes or no to music?
Neither. It’s a Hell. Yes.
8. Salty or sweet?
It really depends on what part of the month you catch me at and how stressed out I am. But my knee-jerk answer is salty because I love me some savory McDonald’s french fries when crap hits the fan.
9. Introvert or extrovert?
An Ambivert all the way! In my 20’s and 30’s, I was more extroverted than I am now at 40. However, post-divorce, I’ve discovered that I need a healthy balance of social engagement and shutting myself off from the world for a few hours with a pen in my hand.
Somewhere in the middle is my happy Medium.
10. Favorite fruit?
Bananas, for obvious reasons: they are on the top-ten list of the sweetest fruits in the world and have their own biodegradable carrying case. (what else were you thinking?)
If you could control the weather, disease, and other people’s reactions, the world would be a better place to live.
If you stayed consistent with your diet, writing, or anything that matters to you, your days would run a lot smoother.
But bad news bears, the world doesn’t always work how you want it to, and we only have control of ourselves.
So, try pouring yourself a fresh cup of coffee (or your favorite beverage), letting go of perfection instead and see what you come up with.
Thank you, Blogs by J, Linda Ng, and Melissa Gray. Love and gigantic hugs to you all!
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This post was previously published on MEDIUM.COM.
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You may also like these posts on The Good Men Project:
Escape the Act Like a Man Box | What We Talk About When We Talk About Men | Why I Don’t Want to Talk About Race | The First Myth of the Patriarchy: The Acorn on the Pillow |
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