Constellations
My life in the form of 12 random moments
1. My mom and her best friend discovered what would become my name at a truck stop, and this is only after their playfully swearing that if I were born a mere 3 days earlier (on Christmas) I'd become Mary Chris Schmidt or Holly Schmidt. The other main contenders were It Schmidt and Zoltan.
2. I was practically born in an airplane. Well, not literally. But my parents wouldn’t have met without one. Instead of car rides, I would get rides in a small Censa every time I couldn’t sleep.
3. I lost my first tooth in on a family trip in Florida. We had to leave a note for the tooth fairy so she could find us. Thankfully, she managed.
4. I have a huge extended family due to a number of divorces and remarriages in previous generations. The 4 Christmases I got to attend every year was a source of much delight.
5. While sitting on the bus in 1st grade, I made a very clear choice to learn 'how to be able to talk to people.' I didn't know what to do with that decision for many years, but thus started my eventual journey into the real of personal development.
6. My mom once lost my hamster in a wall, and spent the next hour perched by the hole with piece of broccoli psychically willing him to come back out. He did. My mom believes his return saved her thousands in 'my mother ruined my life' therapy bills.
7. I went through a period of depression during my first & second years of college. All empathy for those who have to deal with that regularly. That was an impossibly difficult time.
8. I thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail shortly after when I was 19. This journey was 6 mo of aching, delightful, long-green-tunnel bliss and challenge. Along the way I had a memorable playful argument with my brother about whose armpit hair was longer.
9. An entomology course in college had us create bug collections, and my aunts up and down the east coast got into the project. I had insects mailed to me from four different states after they met their frozen demise incarcerated in small yogurt cups.
10. Many of the more significant humans in my life we inaugurated with experiences of deja vu, instantaneous and potent knowing of significance or other psychic oddities.
11. My last time seeing my Grandma I read her her a novel aloud, which was all about cycles and the turning of tides. A perfect and poetic ending after she spent most of my childhood reading me Wizard of Oz stories.
12. My adventures in aerial dance and acrobatics has lead to some high qualitiy shenanigans, including dressing like a crawfish for a trapeze routine (repurposed locker shelves made the tails), being the last act before a whole downtown crowd awaiting July 4th fireworks and deligtfully being the 'ball' that drops at midnight on New Year's at my favorite little dance studio.