Dawdler Dawdler

Another Sunday’s come and that means it’s time for Rory’s Garden Dawdler — nine questions posed once a week for our answering pleasure. And some bonus picks of Jack before and after his spring haircut.

THE GARDEN DAWDLER — Q&A

Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?
I’m create whatever I feel like and I believe that those that regularly read my blog do so expecting something uniquely me. Perhaps that is why I have a small readership, but I’m ok with that.

Do you recover well from setbacks to your plans?
I’m fairly resilient. I’m pretty flexible about my plans which helps me manage expectations. If something doesn’t seem to be working out as I initially intended I assess whether I should course correct or just go with the flow and see what happens. I think this is a skill I’ve learned from experience, though, as younger I could be knocked down pretty hard by disappointments.

How did you meet your other half?
I met her in August of 1995. She was from Shanghai, China and I Vermont, USA. We met in Nagoya, Japan. It was my first week in Japan (I went for a job after having graduated uni) and I was young and impressionable…and boy did she impress me. She waved at me from a across a dimly lit bar where she worked nights while going to school. I looked behind me to see who she waved at because it couldn’t possibly have been me. There was a mirror there so it’s possible that she was just waving at herself, but I fell for it and I fell for her. She didn’t speak much English and I didn’t speak any Chinese so we initially conversed in Japanese — which led to many lost in translation moments during the early years. We are celebrating our 27th wedding anniversary this coming week so if you do the math you can figure we married just 8 months after our first meeting.

What was your very first paid job/employment?
Very first would have been odd jobs, but I consider my first real job to be when I got a job at a movie theater at 16. I started with selling concessions. For years after that job I refused to eat popcorn, but eventually I got over that and can enjoy popcorn again now.

What do you prefer: fruits or vegetables?
My favorite fruit or vegetable would have to be a fruit — the mango. The first time I had a mango my mind was blown. My least favorite fruit or vegetable would have to be either bitter melon (technically a fruit although conventionally called a vegetable) or durian (also a fruit). So I’m a bit polarized on this. I guess on average I more prefer fruits (the broad scientific definition) than vegetables.

How open to new experiences and adventures are you?
I’m pretty open to new experiences (I love trying new things) but I’m getting more and more lazy when it comes to seeking truly new adventures. To give you some perspective on where I land — I’m deathly afraid of heights, but still decided to try sky diving just for the experience. It was almost as mind blowing as my first mango.

Are you afraid or confident to speak your mind?
For most of my life I’ve been way to comfortable to speak my mind. I was either silent or I said everything and anything that was on my mind. I’ve learned that is not always such a smart thing to do. I’m slowly (very slowly) learning to pause before speaking and “curate” what I have to say to be more appropriate.

Does writing energize or exhaust you?
I love this question! I often coach people to pay attention to what energizes them or exhausts them and then with that knowledge start to design their days around energizers. Writing absolutely energizes me! In fact, I was about to go to sleep when Rory posted these questions. When the ping came in announcing their arrival I jumped up to get my writing tablet and started this post.

What do you think the best pizza topping is?
For the purposes of this question I’m going to consider the sauce and cheese as part of the foundation vs. toppings. I think that is how it is intended. I’m a huge pizza fan and I like many, many different types of toppings. With that said if I could only pick one topping I would have to go with pepperoni — it adds so much flavor. If I could add one more then I would pair the pepperoni with mushrooms for a deliciously classic pie.

Thanks Rory for the interesting questions as always. I look forward to reading everyone’s responses.

Be well,

Monty

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