After seeing a few of these "5 Things You Don't Know About Me" posts on IG recently I decided to sit down and compile my own list here. I got a little carried away, but here are 25 Things You Probably Don't Know About Me:
1. I like all things organized, clean, & aesthetically pleasing. Sometimes this makes me a little OCD. I am one of those people who, if I come home from a trip at midnight, will need to unpack my entire suitcase and throw in a load of laundry before going to bed. I absolutely hate leaving things for the next day.
2. I love to draw and make things by hand. The two biggest goals on my 30 Before 30 list is to enroll in myself in an art class and learn how to sew.
3. We got rid of our TV service 7 months ago and I'm not lying when I say I don't miss it in the least bit. We've also been living without a microwave for the past 6 months. Somehow this has also been working out really well for us.
4. My body literally rejects alcohol. Violently. The entire day and night after drinking, even after having just a couple, and the aftermath lasts for a solid 7 days. I have finally started to listen to my body and have spent the past 45 days completely sober…There have still been many occasions that I miss alcohol, and nights I feel uncomfortable in my own skin, but I feel better than ever.
5. I am a lawyer by trade but a mother by heart. I wish I knew this before I racked up all those student loans.
6. I live with mom-guilt every day. When I am home with my son I many times feel like someone else could do a better job educating and raising him than I am. But that same vicious mom-guilt follows me around when I am away from him because I know no one on the face of the earth can love and care for him as much as I do.
7. I hate confrontation. I would rather avoid you for weeks on end. I call this 'the fadeaway.'
8. I am a very anxious person. My yoga practice is the only thing that truly relaxes me and makes me feel whole, mentally & physically, in a given moment.
9. I'm one of those people who needs her sleep. A solid 8-9 hours or else I suffer from awful migraines and am a dysfunctional human being all day. I also need to eat pronto when I am hungry. (aka hangry).
10. I'm left handed but I'm also right-handed. I like to think that means I'm rare and unique and superbly creative. I also like to think that means Lelya is going to be an allstar southpaw athlete and kick ass at sports.
11- I am passionate about our environment, non-toxic and organic products, and enjoy making things by hand. I make and use my own all-natural laundry detergent, cleaning agents, deodorant, body scrub, bath salts, moisturizer, make-up remover, facial cleanser, toner, & exfoliator.
12- I cloth diaper, baby wear, & co-sleep. I didn't start out predetermined to do these things, they sort of naturally evolved as things that work best for us while comporting with parenting philosophies that I grew to believe in. I (we) love it. Most of the time.
13- Many mornings Aziz and I will wake up an hour before Lelya, have coffee & tea in bed and read a chapter of the Bible and talk about God. This has been by far, the best way to start my day. Whether you're alone, with your spouse or significant other, in the morning or at night, I would highly recommend carving out just a few minutes of your day to do this. It'll change your life.
14- I believe strongly in downsizing and in simplicity. The people I respect most in the world are people who quietly choose to live with less so that others can have more. Unfortunately, I conveniently forget this daily as I drive to Target and click my little fingers away on amazon.com and buy things I don't need. One of my most frequent and fervent prayers is that one day what I do, want, and love will match what I respect, believe and admire.
15- I don’t do anything in moderation and I tend to live life in a pattern of extremes. This goes for eating, drinking, exercising, sleeping, my mood, my motivation. I am aware this is unhealthy and I am working on developing an even keel to my personality.
16- I want to do big things for God, like spend a year doing philanthropy efforts in a third world country or adopt a baby orphan from Africa. Aziz and I talk seriously about both these callings on a regular basis....will see we're we're at when we're done having our own kids. But for now, we have our little Sinawo.
17- I am unable and unwilling to sustain relationships with people who talk about themselves but don’t listen or engage in a meaningful 2-way conversation, egotistical, narcissistic people, people who only care about themselves and view the world in terms of how it affects them.
19- My pet peeve since becoming a mom is when people feel the need to offer unwanted, unsolicited advice. We do not need advice. We need help, & we need community.
20- Aziz is the living proof to me that the grace of God is real. I don't know what I did to deserve him and I don't know how my life didn't spiral out of control before him. We are very different people but we love all the exact same things. I truly can't imagine going through life with anyone else.
21- I found God in March 2009 at a small train station in Little Rock, Arkansas and since then I have never been the same. I still consider myself a crappy Christian, but I’m pretty sure that's the only honest kind.
22- I can't listen to the first few notes of Rufus Wainwright's Hallelujah without feeling like the wind's been knocked out of me.
23- I stopped all prescription drugs 4 years ago and believe strongly in holistic health and healing. I believe laughter is the best medicine. Laughter and echinacea and lots of tea and honey.
24- I don't know what I would do without my girlfriends. I deeply cherish my close friendships, because good friends are very hard to find, even more difficult to keep, and they sure as hell make the quality of life better (and a little more bearable).
25- I believe the hardest things in life are the best things. That nothing truly good comes easy. Because life is hard. Not because we are doing it wrong, but because sometimes it’s just hard. But I know, deep down, that it’s all a gift. Every day and every single experience, no matter how brutal, each is an invitation to walk deeper into truth and to real life. That nothing worth anything comes easy. And the rewards are even greater than we expected them to be. And everything is always going to be alright, not because of any decisions I make or don’t make, but because of the grace of God. That he works in miraculous ways, if we walk with Him. That with working hard and trusting in His plan, there is never a door I can't walk through that He won't be standing right behind, helping to usher me through.