Jenchan, Ticking...

Otherwise known as an exercise in self-examination to a most thought-provoking question...

Someone asked me recently, What makes you tick?

Arrgghhhh... it's one of those questions that feels like an interview question.  Like, if  you answer it wrong, if it could be answered wrong, then you'll never hear from them again.  So... I hemmed and hawed and stumbled my way through the answer... but I wasn't really satisfied.  How could I not know what makes me tick?  Hmmmmm.... Well... mainly because there are so many ways that "tick" can be interpreted.  What turns you on?  What do you like to do in your spare time?  What makes you feel good?

The latter is how I am choosing to interpret tick. 

Spending time in nature.  Hiking in England's Lake District.  Kayaking Wekiwa Springs.  Climbing Kennesaw Mountain.  The best part is when there's no one else around, just myself and my travel partner.  It feels like we're the only two people on the planet.  In this era of constant connectedness, I love to be disconnected, just focusing on the person I'm with, and the quiet of the space, spending time with birds, alligators, turtles.  This is how I recharge my batteries.  Yesterday I had a yummy IHOP breakfast with Joe (as mentioned in Football for Dummies parts 1 and 2 as well as Just Can't Wait) and towards the end of our conversation (which had spanned everything from his latest trial preparations to what it takes to get a kid into MIT) I looked across the table at him and exclaimed, We need to go kayaking again.  Soon.  It would be good for both of us, and we always have so much fun!  

Jen, talk to me in October.  It's too blazing hot right now.  Joe sweats more than anybody I know.  I'm glad to have an outing with my friend to look forward to. 

Good music.  To me, there is nothing better than being in my car and a great song coming on and I'm grooving out to Jack Johnson (From the Clouds... so cute!) or any of the songs I mentioned two weeks ago in The Sound of Music... or any other songs on my magical radio.  I love to sing and dance in the car... and I know that the test of a good relationship is my ability to sing out loud-- to really sing-- in front of my friend or boyfriend.  Don't we all want the courage to sing out loud? 

Music sets the tone when I'm cooking, writing, even working.  It makes such a difference having a soundtrack.  Yo-Yo Ma for the times when I have to concentrate, Brett Dennen for when I'm working late and need some energy, my special iPod playlist for early morning runs on the lakefront, 40s jazz for dinner with my parents.

Good food.  I love... good... food.  Since we are now in September, a glorious month ending in "r", I can feast on one of my favorite meals-- mussels steamed in white wine with roasted fingerling potatoes and french bread.  Maybe have some roasted broccoli and a good salad to round it out.  I love cooler weather because I get to make soups, and stews, with leftovers that last at least three days.  The best part of good food is having good friends to share the meal over conversation pertaining to issues of the day.  The Kobe burger Linette and I shared in Where's the Beef? was amazing, as was the whole chichi experience.  This past Sunday we shared another bowl of truffle fries and a bianca pizza at the Enzian.  I've recently been readjusting my eating habits.  I don't eat nearly as much as I used to, but I eat what I want.  It's been liberating! 

Coffee.  I have started drinking coffee every morning, after twenty years of being a strictly weekend coffee drinker.  I love my morning coffee.  On the weekend I'll drink three cups in lieu of breakfast if I'm meeting friends out for lunch.  I know... it's not the healthiest of habits, but it is something that I have grown to love.  And probably at this point, it literally makes me tick. 

Laughter.  To me, nothing is sexier than being with a guy who makes me laugh, and nothing makes me happier than laughing so hard I cry.  My parents get me in this state at least once a month.  It happens at work once in a great while.  Laughter is a great stress-reliever.  I'd much rather see a movie that makes me laugh and feel a bit sentimental than one that makes me cover my eyes and not want to see what comes next. And of course, my own laugh is my most outstanding trait. 

The Toughest Job I'll Ever Love.  Not many people can say they honestly love their job, but I can.  I am energized by helping kids and their parents traverse that next step in their life, and hopefully my words, when necessary, serve to motivate and inspire.  Yes, I work more hours than I'm paid for, and often times I deal with people who are just plain cranky, but my goal is to make those cranky people smile, feel heard, and leave happy; those extra hours I work, I view as volunteer time for the betterment of society.  I would not be the school counselor that I am if I did not believe in what I do, and if at the end of the day I couldn't tell myself that at some point during that day, I made a difference in the life of a child.  This not only is what makes me tick... it's my purpose.

There are many more things that make me tick... swimming, yoga, running, scratching my cat's upturned belly, and of course, writing this blog... but it's nearly ten o'clock and in my world, that's my school night bedtime.  A tired Jen is a grumpy Jen.  And we just can't have that.  There's a fine line between Jenchan, ticking... and Jenchan, ticked.  We don't want to cross it now, do we?



Addendum:  The author is dying to know... What makes you tick?