I'm restless tonight. Restless and unfocused, but creative. Not a great combination. My output would be muddled. But I can put these feelings to work a different way. Here's what I'll do:

• I'll create a list of interesting personal questions at the bottom of this email
• I will choose 5 to answer here for myself
• You choose up to 5 of your own, and reply back to me with your answers for yourself

This is a way for all of us to have a low-stakes connection opportunity. If I get enough interesting answers, maybe I'll do something more with this little exercise next week.

Ready? Go!

My Questions and Answers

1. The best gift you've ever received: When we were in our year of running Love Drop, we helped the family of a girl who was very ill (Love Drop #4). Her dad was a glass craftsman, and as a thank-you gift back to us, he created a beautiful glass heart for both me and Jay, in our favorite colors and designed in the shape of our logo - a heart with a download-type arrow inside it. It means so much to me because it's a one-of-a-kind item that is not only beautifully handcrafted, but born of love from one group of humans to another. I'll include a photo at the bottom of the email.
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2. A movie scene that stuck with you for years: Good Will Hunting, the "Nah, you owe it to me" scene. I had grown so tired over the years of people telling me what I was good at and what I should do with my time and talents, and this scene finally helped me understand it from their perspective instead of my own.
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3. A song that makes you cry: People who know me - even those who know me well - would be astonished to know that there are dozens of songs that make me cry. I'll pick a really easy one: "There Goes My Life" by Kenny Chesney. Girl dads will know.
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4. Something you're proud of that most people wouldn't expect: I'm really proud of how I've developed patience over the years. I was the opposite as a kid - everything came really easily for me, so I skipped steps, I didn't work hard, and was very impatient with myself and others. Starting at 22, through now 20+ years of mental illness, physical illness and injuries, plus other worse things that I can't mention, I've developed a long view of circumstances that I could never have imagined as a young person. Life's not a straight line - usually it's a pendulum, and we need to have patience as it swings.
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5. Your favorite sound in the world: The sound of my kids laughing. Double great if it's them laughing with each other. Making your little kids laugh is one of the best parts of being a parent. As they grew up, I LOVED hearing them laughing in the other room while I was working. And now that they're all out of the house, I'm so happy for Thanksgiving when they're back with me, playing games and telling stories and pleasantly arguing with the rest of the family and laughter fills the house again <3

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Your Questions (choose up to 5 and answer back)

• One silly childhood memory
• A book that changed how you see the world
• Your go-to comfort food
• Something you've changed your mind about recently
• A small ritual that brings you joy
• A movie scene that stuck with you for years
• The most unusual job you've ever had
• A place that feels like home, even if it isn’t
• A skill you wish you learned earlier
• The last time you laughed uncontrollably
• An underrated pleasure of daily life
• A piece of advice you actually followed
• Your favorite sound in the world
• A moment you felt completely out of your comfort zone
• A song that always shifts your mood
• The best compliment you've ever received
• A dream you haven't outgrown
• One thing you believed as a kid that now makes you smile
• Something you’ve kept for sentimental reasons
• The best gift you’ve ever given someone
• The best gift you've ever received
• A smell that instantly brings back a memory
• Something you're proud of that most people wouldn't expect
• The first time you felt truly independent
• A time you said yes and it changed everything
• A fictional character you deeply relate to
• One weird fear
• One guilty pleasure
• A song that makes you cry
• A superstition
• A current low-stakes obsession

Bonus Round:

You can make up a question of your own and ask me to answer it. If I get enough interesting ones, I'll answer a few in my next email.

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