If you could choose any place in the world to live, where would it be?

I think there are a lot of places where I could be perfectly contented. But as long as we're dealing in hypotheticals, I'd love a spot near a large body of water on a huge piece of land with lots of trees, with a miraculously accessible major metro area nearby and nary a suburb in sight. I won't hold my breath.

When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Actually, what I wanted to do as a child was a good predictor of things to come - I wanted to be a doctor and a teacher and a mom and a concert pianist and a veterinarian...you get the idea.

Your occupation now?

Grad student in Industrial and Labor Relations, rabble rouser, kayak shop doyenne, teaching assistant...

What are some of your interests and hobbies?

Hiking, kayaking, playing outside with my beloved dogs, running, singing to myself and anyone else who will listen, reading, enjoying my friends and family, folk music, eh - music in general, camping, cooking (when I'm in the right mood), watching baseball...

What would you say are your character strengths?

I'm intelligent - book smart and common sense. I'm very honest, passionate, and loyal (that sounds like a dog  ) I'm very good at reading people and tend to be quite empathetic. I'm generally pretty patient. I can laugh at myself. I rarely repeat my mistakes (except in choosing boyfriends!) I drive well - not exactly a character strength but important nonetheless. I have pretty diverse interests and know a little about a lot of different things (makes me great at parties). I'm responsible. I'm kind most of the time, and I feel really awful when I realize I haven't been. I listen well. I make a point of appreciating the world around me. I genuinely like myself.

Weaknesses?

I can be quite stubborn. I tend to overextend myself and turn into something of a drama queen when I get overwhelmed. I'm really really critical of myself. I sometimes hold on to old resentments way beyond a reasonable statute of limitations. I'm very uncomfortable with vulnerability. I can be a bit too partisan about things - I've gotten in fights with people over something as dumb as baseball loyalties.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I would be less hard on myself. I think that a lot of my weaknesses spring directly from my - often overly harsh - self-criticism.

Do you have any quirks you think are strange or amusing?

I talk to my dogs without any self-consciousness. I hate the Times New Roman font and I freak out when I have to use it. I despise all condiments - vinegar makes me want to die. I'm a lefty but I play tennis and throw right-handed. I'm a vegetarian, but I'll eat game meat if I know who killed it.

What are your achievements/accomplishments that you are the most proud of?

I completed my first marathon in June. All 26.2 miles. Crossing that finish line was one of the most spectacular experiences of my life (I still work it into most conversations). I wasn't a runner at all before I started training in October (a year ago now), so the thought of running even 1 mile was absurd. But I worked with Team in Training - a program of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I ran in honor of a dear friend who died of leukemia a few years ago, so that provided the inspiration.

Are you currently single, involved, or married?

Single

What qualities do you find the most attractive in other people?

How superficial are we being? I love tall, thin men with broad shoulders, deep voices, soulful eyes and nice hands. I'm also really drawn to people who are passionate about something - no apathy, please. I love people who can be playful. I also love people who know when NOT to be playful. I appreciate people who don't believe that their opinions constitute fact and who can tolerate differences of opinion.

What is one thing you would change about the world?

I wish people were more tolerant of differences of opinion. Or, alternately, I wish that people understood that beliefs, no matter how deeply felt, are not to be confused with the One Real Truth. I admire people who are passionate about a cause, but I would love to teach people to peacefully co-exist with those who don't agree with them - without trying to convert, subvert, suppress, dominate or just straight-up kill them.

What is your favorite food?

I'm Italian - food is akin to religion! But I love Indian, sushi, Thai, quality Italian, gourmet vegetarian, and lots more.

If you could meet anyone, dead or alive, who would you choose?

I hope no one finds this blasphemous or disrespectful - but I have to say Jesus. I think he'd be fascinating to listen to and I'd love to get his take on the last few thousand years of human history.

If you won the lottery tomorrow, what would you do with the money?

Well, I'd finish my Masters degree first - I'm so close. And how big a lottery are we talking, because I have a fair amount of student debt! If I was, like, a gazillionaire I'd pay off my parentsâ debt as well, then travel to my heart's content. Ideally, I'd love to come home with enough money that I wouldn't have to work for the income. I'd be able to occupy myself forever with my hobbies and my pinko lefty social/economic/environmental justice "issues".

Do you consider yourself a spiritual person?

The older I get, the more deeply spiritual I become. I don't practice my given religion anymore, because I just didn't feel it was a good fit.

Is there any particular historical era that you feel drawn to?

Not particularly, although I love reading history. Maybe the U.S. from the 1920s to the 1940s - there was such tremendous social and economic upheaval, some great music, and Prohibition (which was just bizarre).

What are your favorite books and authors?

I should make a disclaimer here - I hate "favorites" questions. Not that I'm terribly fickle, but the answers definitely change with my mood. That being said, I read pretty much constantly - fiction, non-fiction, you name it. My grad program's initials are ILR, which has been said to stand for "I Love Reading" - in other words, I'm usually swamped with academic stuff. For pleasure reading I love John Barth, Barbara Kingsolver, Chris Bojahlian, Howard Zinn and on and on. I grew up on L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables books and the Trixie Belden series.

What are your favorite movies?

My all-time favorite is Until the End of the World. Also The Usual Suspects, Field of Dreams, Ghost World, Heathers, and probably a bunch of others I can't think of right now. I told you I hate superlatives!

What is your most prized possession?

Hmm. I try so hard, and not all that successfully, not to be materialistic. My most "valuable" possessions are my car, my kayak and my digital piano. But my most "prized"? - well, my dogs aren't possessions, but they would definitely be the first things I'd rescue from a burning building.

Also...I'm really sentimental, so I have a lot of items with little material value that I cherish beyond measure.

What is your favorite color?

Green, green and more green

What are your favorite television shows?

I'm not a tv person. I don't think less of people who are or anything, it's just not my bag.

What are some of your pet peeves?

I'm currently very annoyed that Spring and Fall seem to be disappearing, as these are my favorite seasons. I despise right wing pundits (hey, I warned you that I was partisan!) I get very frustrated when salads in restaurants are served with dressing already on, since I'm anti-condiment.

What are some of the issues that you are passionate about?

How much time do you have? As mentioned above, I'm a bonafide lefty pinko social activist. C'mon, I'm a former union organizer and I listen to folk music!

I guess what I'm hinting at is that my "issues" are pretty easy to predict. I'm passionate about labor and human rights (domestic and international), sustainable development, women's rights (including reproductive rights), economic justice, etc...

Do you have any tattoos or piercings?

My ears are pierced - three times in each ear, although I never wear more than one earring in each ear (and those always match - I've gotten so boring in my old age  ) I also have a pierced navel. Great for navel-gazing.

What is one thing you hope to accomplish before you die?

Just one? I want to have children.

What is something you've always wanted to do/try but haven't yet?

I want to become fluent in at least one other language, and I'd like to travel more.

Where do you see yourself ten years (what are your goals)?

I imagine that ten years from now I'll have gotten married, popped out a kid or two, bought a home, settled into a job... all that grown-up stuff that I've forestalled by coming back to school.

What is your favorite quote?

Um, it's kind of long. But my favorite quote is actually the full text of "The Invitation" by Oriah Mountain Dreamer:

The Invitation

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.

It doesn't interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon...
I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow
if you have been opened by life's betrayals
or have become shrivelled and closed
from fear of further pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us to
be careful
be realistic
remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me
is true.
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.
If you can bear the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day.
And if you can source your own life
from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand at the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
"Yes."

It doesn't interest me
to know where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after the night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.

It doesn't interest me who you know
or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the centre of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.

It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like the company you keep
in the empty moments.

© Oriah Mountain Dreamer, from the book The Invitation, 1999