Interview Questions

How do you balance life and work? 

I don’t! I fly by the seat of my pants most days. That’s only a partial joke. Seriously though, I get asked this question a lot. Because I do a lot. I have home schooled 6 kids (2 graduated, now I’m down to 4!), I’m an adjunct professor, I manage this website, I run an urban homestead, I crochet blankets and rugs, I read, I write, I shop the heck out of grocery store sales and clearance racks, and waste nary a crumb by canning, preserving, drying, or pickling everything (No food wasted here!). Perhaps from an outside perspective it appears I have everything under control, but I don’t! I don’t get to everything every day. An insight I had early in my motherhood career was to get used to doing things with my kids all around me. I apply that to all the aspects of my life. I can’t wait for a peaceful moment to work on my writing, for example, because it will never come. Instead, I embrace the busy-ness of my life as my business. I multitask, schedule, plan, and focus, but take time to breath, be with God, sleep, and most importantly, find joy and satisfaction in my life and in the things I do. I personally don’t see the benefit in categorizing life into “work” and “life” groups because, for me, with what I do, it’s all just “life.” I just try to love living it.  

What would you do differently if you could start your working life over? 

My biggest regret is that I left college before graduation.  I had my daughter, and my husband got a job in another town. This was before online classes or internet advances, so I understand why we made the decision.  Through the years as I’ve searched for freelance work, I’ve lost a lot of opportunities because I didn’t have a degree. If I could start my working life over, I would be more insistent about finishing school. 

What is your greatest strength? What is your greatest weakness? 

I combined these two questions because for me they are the same: My greatest strength is that I am interested in everything. I am enthralled with learning about the human experience.  There is very little that does not strike my curiosity. It bothers me to not know things and I will be tenacious about going after and understanding new information.  As a strength it has given me great people skills.  I am not shy, and I love to talk to people about who they are and why.  It’s a strength because I can research or study or write about my latest topic of interest with great focus, and my passion for the topic comes through in my writing. My greatest weakness is that I am interested in everything. Sometimes I over focus on something, and other areas of my life (like sleep) go to the wayside.  No matter how hard or fast I learn, I still can’t know everything.  That frustrates and discourages me. I also think it’s a weakness because I take on too much, thinking that I can be superhuman and learn it all, and then I sometimes churn out half-baked ideas that aren’t very effective. 

If you could have dinner with any person (alive or dead) who would it be?

I have always really admired Thomas Jefferson. I had the opportunity to tour Monticello, his home, a few years ago and I was totally geeking out. Here is a man who, like me, was interested in everything. His home is a tribute to all his interests. He was a writer, an architect, a scientist, a gardener, an avid reader, a musician, an inventor, a [fill in the blank]. He did everything! Being on his property and seeing all his interests and how he structured his time was so inspiring. I know there is some controversy surrounding him and his life choices; however, I believe him to be a person who did a lot of good with the resources he had. If I could have dinner with him, I would love to talk to him about all his studies and talents, and how he managed his household. Oh, and what writing The Declaration of Independence was like! Also, about being the 3rd US President. Also, if he could bring a friend to dinner, I would ask him to bring my mom. Just because I miss her.