[*Anya*]

1. What can you do today that you were not capable of a year ago?
Stay out of the hospital.

2. What's been on your mind most lately?
My GF's knee surgery and hoping that her knee improves with rehab.

3. In order of importance, how would you rank: happiness, money, love, health, fame?
Health is everything to me: with poor health, it is difficult to feel happiness or to be able to earn money. With stable health: ability to be open to love increased greatly. Fame matters not at all to me.

4. Right now, at this moment, what do you want most?
Go back to sleep.

5. What word best describes the way you’ve spent the last month of your life?
Busy!

6. What is the #1 motivator in your life right now?
Earning enough money to be able to retire.

7. In one sentence, who are you?
Still figuring that one out.

8. What do you want to be known for?
Compassion towards others and a loving heart underneath my veneer of reserve.

9. If you had to move 3000 miles away, what one thing would you miss most?
Since my GF would be coming with me in this theoretical move; my youngest daughter and granddaughter (package deal so they count as one)- they live fairly close to me now. If I moved 3K miles away, hopefully that would put me on the east coast and closer to my oldest daughter.

10. In one year from today, how do you think your life will be different?
Will officially be living with my GF. I say officially because we spend 7 days/nights out of 7 together but don't call it living together yet.

11. Who makes you feel good about yourself?
Me.

12. What are the top three qualities you look for in a friend?
Kindness, ability to communicate on a feeling level and non-judgmental towards others

13.What has fear of failure stopped you from doing?
Many things

14. What is something you have always wanted since you were a kid?
The love and nurturing of my parents.

15. What stands between you and what you want?
Fear-see number 13 above.

16. What do you do when nothing else seems to make you happy?
Listen to music and dance.

17. When did you first realize that life is short?
Somehow, I always knew this.

18. What do you need to spend more time doing?
Alone time.

19. What issues do you continually refuse to confront?
Reconnecting with my parents. >>>>Hard to admit to anyone: they still scare me. I use avoidance with them.

20. What’s something a lot of people do that you disagree with?
I don't like to be judgmental. I can only live my own life and that is hard enough.

21.What’s a common misconception people have about you?
That my shyness and reserve means aloof.

22.What’s something no one can take away from you?
That I got my RN while on welfare and was raising my girls by myself.

23. What is something that you would hate to go without for a day?
Yogurt

24. When you look into the past, what do you miss the most?
When my daughters were small, before I met my long -term ex. We were very poor but very happy-the 3 of us.

25. What memory from this past year makes you smile the most?
Thinking of my first date with my honey. She was waiting outside the restaurant and as I walked up, I could see her more clearly and my first thought was: "Thank god, she really looks like her picture and she really is butch". (Online dating sites could bring surprises before I met her).

26. What’s the number one change you need to make in your life in the next twelve months?
Rent out or sell my house. Make repairs that are needed to do either.

27. If not now, then when?
I am very good at avoidance for those things I don't want to do or that make me uncomfortable.

28. What have you done that you are truly proud of?
Raise two stable, productive daughters that are very good and loving moms to their own children.

29. What’s something new you recently learned about yourself?
That I shut down and want to run rather than deal with highly charged, emotional issues with my GF.

30. What do you want to remember forever?
What love feels like.

31. What could society do without?
Hate, repression, violence and intolerance.

32. What is one thing right now, that you are totally sure of?
I am never totally sure of anything. I am always questioning everything.

33. If you had the opportunity to get a message across to a large group of people, what would your message be?
Peace is more than an abstract concept- it can be achieved.

34. What’s something you said you’d never do, but have since done?
Hmmm...can't think of anything.

35. What’s something you changed your mind about when you grew older?
?

36. What didn’t last forever, but was still worth your while?
Everything that I have done in my life.

37. If you could go back in time and tell a younger version of yourself one thing, what would you tell?
It will get better.

38. If you knew you were dying in 60 seconds, what would your last words be?
I did my very best.

39. When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?
No, I have accomplished a lot in my life in spite of adversities.

40. What questions do you often ask yourself?
I question anything and everything. I exhaust myself sometimes.