Fifteen Questions With...
People are fascinating. I often think about this when I'm riding the subway and look around at all the people I'll never know and wonder their stories. Do they have a nephew like me? Did they go to college? I wonder what they ate for breakfast that morning. But mostly I want to know their inner workings - their struggles, accomplishments, goals and all that makes them human.
To satiate this desire and bring some human insight into the word I decided to start an interview series with people from all walks of life who've shown a sort of courageousness; a bravery to start something new, try a different path or overcome an obstacle. Hopefully we can all learn something in the process.
My very first subject is a high school friend who has been wonderfully open about a new life venture. I became so curious that reached out to see what she was up to. Check out her story below.
EDITION I
Lizzie, 28 years old
1. Describe yourself in three words.
Impulsive, In-tune (one word ;) and Free.
2. Describe yourself in three foods.
Honey; hot sauce; licorice - sweet, fiery and not for everyone.
3. What song describes you?
Cleaning Windows by Van Morrison. I don’t know if it really describes me but it's upbeat and I know that I play it every time I am in charge of the music. Or anything LittleFeat for that matter.
4. What do you think about when you’re alone in the car?
My car is probably where I get the most thinking done. I think about what I am doing and how what I do today will affect my tomorrow. I think about how I will find enough money to go on Phish tour, and then I think about how I should use that money for something that will last longer than a three night run in Vegas. I think about my family and how New York is very close but often very far. I was recently driving and came up with the idea to sell the shirts I make to other people. And finally, I think of my boyfriend and his day and if my dog (GIBSON) is asleep or longing for me by the door listening to Joni Mitchell BLUE.
5. Are you an air conditioner or open window type of person?
Open Window. O P E N W I N D O W. Fresh Air, yes please.
6. Who/what is your spiritual animal?
I like to say my two-year- old niece Molly is my spirit animal, she’s always half naked and barefoot moving to her own beat. She will not be rushed.
7. Who/what inspires you?
People who envision their goals, commit to their goals, and eventually see their goals through. The path doesn’t have to be perfect but its what got you there.
8. Where did you grow up?
Manhasset, Long Island.
9. Where was the last place you lived (previous to where you are now)?
Greeenpoint, Brooklyn.
10. Where do you reside now?
Plympton, MA.
13. What motivated you to make the move?
Honestly, I was between a rock and a hard place. I was in Brooklyn, in an apartment I could not afford, I had quit my job, I did not pass the New York bar exam and I was hostessing at a Fish shack on Wythe in Williamsburg. I knew I needed something to change, I knew I could literally not stay in my apartment in Green Point because I had until June 1 st . I went up to visit Duxbury/South Shore MA- and it captured my heart. It is a beautifully New England place with beaches and farms and woods. My now boyfriend actually found me the apartment- which was a fourth of what I paid in Brooklyn and is quite literally a little nest above a farmhouse in Plympton. It reminds me of a place where one of my favorite authors would’ve written. (Emily Dickinson, Virginia Woolf, Emerson) visitors say the same. When I left Brooklyn I told my friends I’d write a book called “Waking up in Plympton”…I’ve been here since June and I have two chapters... I’ve been distracted but hopefully I’ll keep at it.
11. Is it what you expected?
It is hard to look back on what I expected it to be like. I think the move had a lot more to do with me feeling like I needed to get out of the city and breath. I have definitely found peace here. I feel inspired everyday whether it’s waking up and walking through the woods or stopping by the beach before work. I think being a “tourist” of sorts gives me the advantage because I’m so grateful for all the natural beauty that surrounds me, stuff that I suppose if I grew up with wouldn’t touch me as deeply as it does now.
12. What do you hope to feel/accomplish/do in this new place?
I hope for H a p p i n e s s. Self-derived happiness that comes from within. The kind that is not dependent on someone else. The kind that makes you beautiful from the inside out. HAPPY GIRLS ARE PRETTY GIRLS. I hope to be proud of the choices I make. In less general terms, I have worked really hard even before moving on making better choices and just being more appreciative of everything I have and everything I already am. As for what I want to end up doing – I recently started researching real estate and what goes into it and the process of becoming a real estate agent and I’m kind of excited about seeing if I’d be good at it. We’ll see though! (I do still feel like my purpose is to write a book so hopefully I’ll come up with a few more chapters).
13. Can you share any lessons you learned from the change?
Eleanor Roosevelt said something like “women are like tea you never know how strong they are until they’re in hot water”… that’s the lesson. We don’t give ourselves enough credit. I never in a million years thought I had it in me to move to a new place on my own starting over until I had to. When I first got here I had zero money, zero job and zero idea of what I was going to do- it turned out to be a beautiful summer by the shore. I swam in the ocean, I walked through the woods, I started a blog (which I have been lazy about recently) I fell in love. I was sad when I left Brooklyn. I felt lost. I felt like I had been studying for the bar exam forever and I was never going to be successful at anything if I couldn’t do that. I was wrong. Life goes on. And you’re way stronger than you think you are- believe me.
14. What advice would you give a person looking to make a big life change?
Go for it. Do it. Even if people are confused by your choice make the change. It’s liberating to start over. If for nothing else, you have an interesting story. Buy the ticket, take the ride. There is one other thing to remember. Sometimes you don’t choose change, change chooses you and that’s okay. You have to keep going even if it’s a change you didn’t want. Sometimes forced change is a blessing in disguise. The most unhappy people I know are the ones who won’t accept change, the people who can’t move on, the ones who won’t see a different path…
15. Lastly, what do you want to be when you grow up?
I was actually talking about this the other day and what I want to do is become really successful at real estate and then open a small music venue/ bar somewhere here on the South Shore.
Final Thoughts: Dearest Lizzie,thank you for your openness and generosity with your words. I'm inspired by your bravery in taking a leap into the unknown, I often struggle to do this myself so your words are encouraging. I must also agree with your with you Eleanor Roosevelt quote. Tough moments are often exactly what we need to show us just how strong we are. I admire you.
PS - I'm an OPEN WINDOW kind of girl too.