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My lovely\u00a0fellow blogger, Heidi BK Sloss of\u00a0The Art of Living Fully<\/a>, nominated me for the Liebster Award, which was developed to recognize bloggers and help others get to know them. I really appreciate the honor. Be sure to check the end of this post for the bloggers I\u2019m nominating!<\/p>\n Part of the Liebster Award is the opportunity to answer some questions. So here goes!<\/p>\n What makes you happy? <\/strong><\/p>\n A really great walk\u2014with my husband, with friends, or with a podcast (This American Life<\/a><\/em>, Fresh Air<\/a><\/em>, The Moth<\/a><\/em>, and Snap Judgment<\/a><\/em> are my favorites); sipping a latte while reading the paper at Comforts<\/a>, my favorite caf\u00e9, every morning; watching a good DVD series with my husband (Season 6 of The Good Wife<\/em> just arrived via Netflix–Yippee!); movies and our movie group; fresh flowers; favorable political trends (not a lot of happiness there right now); my kids feeling happy and engaged with what they\u2019re doing; being on track with my eating and my writing; getting published.<\/p>\n Why did you start blogging?<\/strong><\/p>\n I resisted blogging for a long time because I am very technophobic and because I was afraid my blog would be really lame, petering out after a few posts. Then in 2012, I was one of only two Listen to Your Mother SF<\/a><\/em> cast members without a blog. The other outlier had no interest in blogging, but I did. In fact, I had the usual fantasies of being discovered and going viral and getting a MacArthur Genius Grant, or at least a book deal. Since my grandiosity is tamed by equal doses of self-doubt and procrastination, I had not yet been able to implement this strategy. Finally, the shame of\u00a0seeing no hyperlink under my name in the LTYM<\/em> program\u00a0spurred me to\u00a0overcome my fear of lame. After that, I began the slow process of reinforcing<\/span> overcoming technophobia by tackling WordPress.<\/p>\n At the same time, I had also begun serious work on my one good book idea, \u201cRuptures in Women\u2019s Friendships.\u201d I saw my blog as a way of conducting research\u2014crowd-sourcing stories people would share in response to my posts on the topic.<\/p>\n Then I got cancer. (Did you know that WordPress causes cancer?) \u00a0My plans were derailed by six months of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. But cancer has a way of focusing the mind on what matters, so with new resolve (plus new access to a great online WordPress tutorial), I launched my blog in July 2013. Interestingly, everything in my life is back on track except my Ruptures project. Instead, I have written a lot about cancer<\/a>, that unwelcome but excellent muse. I still am pretty technophobic (Twitter? What’s that?) And I still fear my blog is lame, but at least I post on a fairly regular basis.<\/p>\n What is the best thing anyone has ever said about your blog?<\/strong><\/p>\n Honestly, anytime anyone says anything about my blog, I\u2019m ecstatic. I particularly love when what I\u2019ve written inspires readers to share their experiences. But the comment that\u2019s meant the most to me came from a blog post I put on a group blog, long before I had Shrinkrapped<\/em> up and running. I\u2019d written<\/a> about my own evolution on the topic of gay marriage–from a straight person\u2019s total oblivion to full embrace. Months later, a gay father came across the post and emailed me about how much it meant to him. He told me about how traumatized his eight-year-old daughter was when planes carrying banners denouncing gay marriage flew over their house (this was in the bad old days when Proposition 8 was riding high in California). He said it was the first time she had experienced hate for her family. \u201cThanks for writing your piece,\u2019 he wrote. \u201cMaybe it will shift a mind or two.\u201d Comments like his remind me that connecting through writing matters. This keeps me going when I lose heart.<\/p>\n What is one piece of advice you would offer or one saying you live by?<\/strong><\/p>\n My favorite saying comes from something I first heard from a fellow Weight Watcher: \u201cSet the intent.\u201d (Meaning, \u201cPonder how differently your day might go if for breakfast you scarf down a dozen jelly doughnuts versus an egg-white omelet.\u201d)<\/p>\n There’s a more widely applicable\u00a0meaning, too,\u00a0and it\u2019s the one piece of advice I’ve given my daughters that they’ve most cottoned to: \u201cFind something small you can do every day no matter what<\/em> that will help you feel on track\u2014for me it\u2019s making the bed.\u201d Lo and behold! I have raised two bed-makers, though I would not have placed money on this during their childhoods.<\/p>\n What are your top three bucket list items?<\/strong><\/p>\n For a better answer, read my old post, \u201cBucket List.\u201d<\/a> But here\u2019s the list:<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>What is your ultimate guilty pleasure?<\/strong><\/p>\n Devouring a pint of Three Twins Chocolate Orange Confetti ice cream<\/a>. Since the near-total demise of Swensen\u2019s<\/a>, with its Swiss Orange Chip, it\u2019s been hard to come by my favorite flavor. Luckily, Orange is the New Black <\/em>inspired <\/a>Three Twins (my Weight Watcher leader calls it\u00a0\u201cThree Ass\u201d) to launch this fantastic new flavor. More luckily still, I only buy premium pints on sale, and it goes on sale very rarely.<\/p>\n What is one product or service you cannot live without?<\/strong><\/p>\n National Public Radio<\/em>. No hyperlink necessary.<\/p>\n What is your favorite U.S. destination? What two countries make you the happiest to visit? What is your dream destination?<\/strong><\/p>\n Honestly, I don\u2019t have much of a travel bug, so I\u2019ve lumped these questions together. I live just north of San Francisco in beautiful Marin County, so my favorite destination is only a short drive away: Point Reyes National Seashore<\/a>. My favorite vacations feature hiking in beautiful places. I actually find long weekend B&B getaways more refreshing than bigger trips. But this summer<\/a> I was happy in the French Pyrenees and hiking the Tour du Mont Blanc through France, Switzerland, and Italy. Before that I\u2019ve loved the Dolomites, the Canadian Rockies, Bryce Canyon, Sawtooth Mountains, and the many trips I\u2019ve taken to the Sierra Nevada. I dream of future hikes in the U.S. Rockies and Mount Ranier, and of taking a walking tour of the English countryside with its cottage gardens.\u00a0But I’m just as happy with\u00a0my daily walks out my front door.<\/p>\n But Enough About Me! Paying the Liebster Forward <\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m embarrassed to admit that I barely have a pinky toe dipped in the blogosphere\u2014how do<\/em> people find the time? But check out these worthy bloggers in addition to the aforementioned The Art of Living Fully<\/a>. And remember, there\u2019s nothing worse for a writer than sending words into a black hole. So feel free to comment, tweet, share, and give a shout-out to your own favorites!<\/p>\n Jessica O\u2019Dwyer<\/a>, who has written a memoir, Mamalita<\/a><\/em> about adopting her daughter from Guatemala. Check out her blog, Mamalitathebook<\/a>, for more exquisitely observed and felt writing about international adoption and related topics.<\/p>\n Dorothy O\u2019Donnell<\/a>, who writes beautifully about everything, including raising a child with pediatric bipolar disorder.<\/p>\n Rhea St. Julien, who reaches into her heart and soul to write about race and other things that matter at thirty threadbare mercies<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n Jenny Marshall, who writes about culture, language, and travel at A Thing for Wor(l)ds<\/a><\/p>\n You can find a lot of wonderful writerly stuff at Write On Mamas<\/a> and a lot of talent on WOM\u2019s blog<\/a>. Check out the blogroll on the Home page for individual members\u2019 sites.<\/p>\n And here are my favorite buddies I met on this year\u2019s A to Z Blogging Challenge<\/a>:<\/p>\n Dyanne at Backsies is What There is Not<\/a> (Fans of the\u00a0Frances books,<\/em>\u00a0unite!). Dyanne is very funny and very positive in her outlook. I have a bit of an allergy to positive thinking, so the fact that I find her so engaging is a testament to how skillfully she handles the balance of the good, the bad, and the ugly in all aspects of life.<\/p>\n Wendy at Wendy’s Waffle<\/a>. I love that Wendy writes about a wide range of topics, from politics to the personal. Plus, she’s someone who lists “chocolate” as one of her interests, and like me, is an empty nester. Wendy lives in London, so it’s great to get a perspective from beyond my own shores.<\/p>\n Paula at Mpls Transplant<\/a>. Paula, who moved from the San Francisco Bay Area to Minneapolis, asks, \u201cIs Minnesota Nice contagious? God, I hope so . . .\u201d I happen to know she was plenty nice already, at least by Bay Area standards! Here she’s funny, inventive, and great at incorporating photography into her writing.<\/p>\n *<\/p>\n Answer a question or two yourself–like what’s YOUR ultimate guilty pleasure or what’s on your bucket list? Also,\u00a0what are your favorite blogs?<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" My lovely\u00a0fellow blogger, Heidi BK Sloss of\u00a0The Art of Living Fully, nominated me for the Liebster Award, which was developed to recognize bloggers and help others get to know them. I really appreciate the honor. Be sure to check the … Continue reading \n