Journey of 1000 Things – Part 1

In November, I blogged about a journal I purchased – 1000 Things You Don’t Know About Me. For those of you that aren’t regular survey takers, and may not have already figured this out, 1000 questions are A LOT of questions. But the first week of January, I started on a journey (with some plucky friends that agreed to join me), to answer 20 questions each week, on our way to 1000. The intent is to respond to all 1000 prompts (they aren’t actually phrased as questions) by the end of 2022. After reviewing and answering most of the 160 inquiries so far, this is what I’ve learned.

Go with your gut.  It only took me until question #3 to realize that I was going to have to provide information according to my own style.  MOH was quick to point out that I was not really providing an answer to the inquiry.  But as it’s my own project, I decided that I get to make up some of the rules.  Otherwise, quite frankly, I’m never going to get through the list.

#3.  A song I love that most people hate is…  I can’t think of a song that most people hate.  Seems like SOMEBODY always likes every song.  If they didn’t, I would not have heard of the song.  Somebody liked it for it to be on the radio, or an album.  A list of eclectic songs I very much enjoy are…

• The Unicorn by The Irish Rovers
• David Duchovny by Bree Sharp
• Do You Hear What I Hear? by Vince Gill
• Indian Summer by The Doors
• The Impossible Dream from The Man of La Mancha

The long and the short of it.  Some answers come short and sweet; others prompt a story.

#37.  I always give it my best effort when… others are counting on me.

#115.  One place I think is haunted is… the house we lived in on Mechanic Street in Stockbridge.  Maybe it is because the previous owners told us a creepy story about something that happened in one of the bedroom closets, but there were a couple things that happened while we lived there that I didn’t love. 

Most of the time I felt comfortable there, and my mom lived there after us. Over the course of 24 years, I was never afraid to be there alone until… the time no one was living in the house, and we were getting ready to sell it. I went there to paint the upstairs bathroom. I had our two dachshunds with me, and I shut the three of us inside the bedroom (with the scary closet) and the attached bathroom which was my project.

I had barely started my work when I heard the bedroom door shudder in the door frame. It made a sound like when someone would open the front door and the negative air pressure sucks the door tight against the frame. Not only was I positive that someone came into the house, but both dogs started barking furiously. I thought it must be one of my siblings or a neighbor and I called out, but no one answered. I went downstairs and no one was there. I couldn’t find any explanation and I left without working on our project.

I get hung up on absolutes.  I realize I don’t have to have the ‘right’ answer, but that said, wanting to answer to the best of my ability can make me stall out.  Inquiries about the best, the worst, the most, continually get me stuck and overthinking.  Although we’re on week nine (180 questions), I’m still pondering a few earlier inquiries.

#40.  The most exciting thing that ever happened to me was…

#68.  The biggest lie I have ever told was…

#82.  I’m fearless when it comes to…

#130.  A topic of conversation that’s off-limit for me is… 

I need to know who my audience is.  This is an important question, and I don’t’ have an answer.  Before I go spilling my guts about my secret crush or the biggest lie I have ever told, I need to know who might be reading this and when.  Am I talking to my child, a stranger?  Do I need to change the names to protect the innocent like my journal is an episode of Dragnet?   

It’s a creative process.  Just because the journal can’t answer back, doesn’t stop me from talking to it.  I find some of my answers becoming a one-way conversation, particularly last week.

#143.  My mom always encouraged me to… be kind.  Didn’t you already ask me this one?

#150.  When I was a child, my favorite thing to do was… C’mon man!  If you don’t have 1000 original questions, then write and publish a journal of 500 Things You Don’t Know About Me.  Revisit # 62.  My favorite thing to do as a kid was…  Are you looking to see if I give you a different answer this time, or are you running out of new ideas already?

#155.  The movie that most resembles my life is…  I can’t imagine that anybody would watch a movie that is as mundane and normal as my life.  How about what movie would you like to live?  Now that’s a good question!  Maybe I should be creating my own journal of questions.  You better start bringing your A-game or maybe I’ll do that.

It’s been a fun journey so far. Regardless of if I make it to 1000 (which I think I will), and if I answer every questions (which I’m pretty sure I won’t), its been a fun journey of memories and self reflection. And that’s really what life is about really – the journey, not the destination.