April 17, 2014

Not Using "My Prime" Sufficiently (W11)

I once ran a camera on Steven Tyler when Aerosmith was in concert at Verizon Amphitheatre. He was right in my face. It is my favorite concert memory. (Seriously, that is the coolest job story I have ever heard!)

Woman 11 (W11) also likes venues such as The Midland and Crossroads. Her taste in music is varied including The Dixie Chicks, Tom Petty, Allison Krause, and Amos Lee.

She feels most powerful when she takes charge and does what needs to be done. She noted bettering herself in a variety of ways and accomplishing things at work as times when she feels powerful. Her most recent example was embarking on a 12 week health challenge before a beach vacation. She said she lost 16 pounds during the challenge and overall she felt better as a result.

W11 says most things in her life are working right now. At 37 years old W11 is a bubbly, easy going person with a contagious laugh and inviting personality.  She has good friends and she enjoys her work as a film producer. The dating scene is the only place she feels things are not working for her right now. 


She enjoys watching TV, spending time with friends, relaxing with a drink, or seeing concerts in her free time.

W11 was referred to me by another interviewee. She said she accepted the invitation to be interviewed because she thought it would give her an interesting viewpoint on her own life.

What three words would your best friend use to describe you?
Laid back / Loyal / Silly                                         

What is the most fun thing you have done in the last 30 days?
I spent the afternoon having drinks and catching up with my best friend/college roommate.

What would you do if you were not afraid?
Pack up and move. Maybe to Nashville.
Where would we go for a "day of fun" in Kansas City?
Skip the morning so we can sleep in. Have lunch at the real Oklahoma Joe's. Then head to an afternoon Royal's Game and have beer and hotdogs. We may need a keg! For our evening entertainment we will go to a concert at Crossroads.
What event most shaped you over the last year?
My brother and his wife have gone through some things that have opened my eyes to who he is and changed my understanding of marriage. He and I are close and I am glad I can be there to help him.
What is your favorite part of your life right now?
Singleness. I can do whatever I want. It is also my least favorite part.
What would new friends be surprised to learn about you?
How lonely I feel sometimes.
What do you know for sure?
At the end of the day I can only be me.

What is your mantra?
Carpe diem

It's a great day to be alive.

What question do you want to be asked? 
What do you want? (instead of being focused on what they want)
If you could write a note to your younger self, what would you say in 2 words?
Be brave.

Your census data is: Single / 0 Kids / Never married
But, who are you really? Single / Fun / Easy going
So, what did I take away from this interview?

This chick is cool! She was fun. We talked for way to long. Then, as it turns out, we both went home to watch the end of Parenthood on TV. She is totally someone I would love to hang out with. She likes sports, movies, concerts, BBQ, and day drinking. (Day drinking is the best!)

We talked about being single in our 30's. We compared our 20-something single lives that we lived  in a way that was expectant of marriage. We both chose homes planning to sell them when we got married. We both bought furniture and housewares with the thought of how they would work in our next home, or fit in our guest room, or function when we had big dinner parties or hosted family dinner parties.

It's not that either of us have given up on marriage. We are just both in a time of our life where we can see down the road in both directions. It's a different perspective. Looking back life has been good even if not quite what was anticipated. Looking forward there are a lot of possibilities. We can change zip codes, jobs, hair color, and holiday plans as we see fit. It is good to be in a place where you can see that changing directions (or just doing what you want today) won't change destiny.

If anything, being single in your 30's is a time when you come to terms with the fact that you don't know where life will take you. In some ways this time is more fun than my 20's because I am happier with who I am now. I know what I have to offer a relationship and I know what I need to feel happy and safe.


How did she shape me?

She loves life. She smiled and laughed and seemed comfortable in her own skin. I felt like I was meeting a kindred spirit. Our conversation made me want to go on vacation, see more concerts, and meet new people.

Meeting her reinforced the reason I started this blog. There are a lot of great, single people in Kansas City. Our biggest challenge is mingling.  KC needs more mingle.

Take time to say hello, smile, and extend an invitation to someone outside of your circle of friends. Invite someone to coffee, cocktails, a concert, a movie, church, dinner, a Royals game. Whatever.
















No comments:

Post a Comment