| What is your most memorable childhood experience? | My favorite experience would have to be an amalgamation of images that come to mind involving playing outside with siblings or with neighbors on the street. I could not possibly pick one but would rather say that, as a whole, this opportunity to simply run around and play will always strike a special tone in my heart when I think back to childhood. That freedom to explore combined with the company of other children is what keeps the memory so fresh in my mind, as these were particularly engaging experiences. |
| What immediate family member do you closely identify with and why? | I identify quite closely with my sister. She and I are close in age and thus lived through similar times through the lens of similar age. We have thus come to express ourselves very similarly, and our likes and dislikes coincide quite well. That being said, an individual is an individual and we certainly don't agree on all, but whatever unifying principle underlying our apparent differences is always enough to allow for smooth interaction that reminds us of our familial tie. |
| What character traits do you admire in an individual? | I admire honesty, especially when making the honest choice is difficult. I admire the willingness to embrace fear, thus allowing for courage to shine forth. I admire patience in speech and action, as it implies a certain humility in restraining oneself and admitting that our initial reactions may not be the most useful. I admire perseverance and endurance, but also the ability to surrender when this perseverance becomes hubris. |
| What is the funniest thing ever to happen to you? | Some years ago, I bought a sailboat and on my first trip down the Chesapeake Bay, with my sister, the motor died, and then some minutes later the wind died. Stuck in the water and just floating around, I couldn't help but laugh at the situation I found myself in. I suppose it's a bit of funny helplessness, where you realize that you got yourself into this situation, and yet would have never wanted it for yourself. |
| If time and money were not an issue, where would you travel and why? | I would probably have a brief time where I would try to visit every continent in some capacity, as I simply love to explore, but I am sure that I would end up coming back home after not too long. I'd likely split up my time between family here in the US and family in France, as all the time and money in the world is useless if it's not in some way shared with people you love. I suppose the point would not be to run away and never come back now that I was, materially speaking, liberated. I don't think that would be a very fun game for more than a few days or weeks. Finding a way to make this gift that I hypothetically receive would be my main concern, even if that meant traveling inward and nowhere externally at all! |
| When and if you ever have children, what would you like to pass on to them? | I would love for my children to feel empowered to go after any aspiration that they might feel strongly about. I have no specific activity, career, etc. that I would wish for them, since it's not really for me to do so. However, whichever of these they may choose, I think it's my responsibility to help them get there as best as I possibly can, to continue to kindle the fire of faith inside their hearts as they prepare to think and act for themselves. I hope to pass on an attitude of sincerity towards life, that still allows for an acceptance that life is not so serious. This delicate game of taking responsibility for ourselves but in a relaxed and peaceful way seems like the best preparation for living as an adult. |
