Sunday March 25, 2012
I’ve been tagged twice in the last few weeks … and since I’ve always been a sucker for filling out surveys, I can’t help myself. Even if I’m only, what, a month behind. Maybe two.
The first tag is to list seven wild things about yourself. Wild. Grow up as a Mennonite girl. Try to fit wild into that. Ok, you can stop laughing now. Somehow I equate wild with evil behavior. Not that I’ve been an angel, but you know, I mean, really naughty. And that’s not me. But then I looked up a few synonyms: insane. self-willed, riotous, unrestrained, uncontrollable. reckless, rash, … I kind of bet my mom said some of those words about me more than a few times. And apparently there were others who thought I was “wild” judging by the anonymous letter David received soon after we started dating warning him not to pursue a relationship with me. I will forever be grateful to my father-in-law who said that an opinion sent anonymously doesn’t hold full merit because it can’t be validated.
At any rate, my “wild” list probably borders more on a less than thrilling “unusual” list since most of the time, I was more like Curious George. Really not meaning to get into so much trouble.
1. When I was 13 my family hosted an enormous extended family gathering in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Think great aunts and uncles and second cousins you’ve never met. Many of us hiked Humpback Rock, a moderately strenuous hike, including my 62 (?I think?) year old great aunt who hiked it in pantyhose and dress shoes. I did not come by my spunkiness illegally. After we’d been up for a few minutes and climbed around on jetting rocks that would have given my mom heart attacks had she been there, I had the wild idea to start back down on our own. I was just a little too cocky and liked being in charge just a little bit too much. Dad asked if I knew how to get back down (of COURSE I did … I’d been up Humpback once before that summer) and six or seven of us started off. I was the oldest with an entourage of best friend first cousins and two second cousins who were five and six and adored us because we adored them. My great aunt (the one in the dress shoes) silently became the caboose to our little party. We tramped down the trail with wild abandon feeling cooler than cool and larger than real life and very grown up. After about a mile, it seemed as though we should be getting to where the old trail and the new trail divided. But we didn’t. I didn’t really want anyone to know I was dubious, because well, that would make me look dumb. We walked. And walked. And walked. And walked. The real trail is just shy of a mile. And not until I reached an open clearing that was definitely unfamiliar did I admit that I’d gone very, very wrong. We turned around. By now Esther and I were taking turns carrying the five year old. My great aunt didn’t say a word, just quietly turned around and followed us. By the time we reached the top of Humpback, no one had any energy to talk or to laugh. We were all tired. I wasn’t scared, but definitely wondering if I was going to get into trouble. We were terribly thirsty. The Appalachian trail runs past Humpback and I’d glibly walked right onto it instead of heading in the right direction. We’d barely started down the correct trail before we heard people yelling our names. People we knew. And water. Turns out my dad had alerted the park rangers and they were getting ready to start a search. Esther and I happily handed Bobbi off to her dad to carry and we all hiked to the bottom. According to someone’s estimation, we hiked well over seven miles. I was pretty proud of myself at the end of the day for how far we hiked carrying someone, but looking back, my great aunt is my hero. She never once complained or scolded us. I can’t even imagine how terribly sore she must have been the next day. The other unsung heros are my cousins who did not know me and who never said one word to me about being irresponsible with their precious, way too young for that, daughters. To this day I can see the look on dad’s face when I ran the last thirty feet off the mountain and the tone in my mom’s voice when she saw me (she was in charge and had to go back to cook for the group not knowing where we were). And yes, I still look twice every time I start down off that mountain.
2. Just before I turned twelve my parents sold their darling cape cod house in SC and moved into a teeny tiny single wide trailer while they decided where they were going to move. Most of our belongings went into a small storage area between the ceiling of the school library and the much higher ceiling of the school gym. It was an old school building with wooden floors and dad propped a ladder against the wall to the space approximately twelve feet off the ground. Mom was the organizer of boxes at the bottom, dad carried them up the ladder, and I shoved them back against the wall to make room for more. It was a great system and I loved the little adrenalin rush. To keep the excitement level a little higher, I took frequent drink breaks because of course that meant going up and down the ladder which was far more thrilling than just sitting in a space twelve feet off the ground with an open ledge. The edges of the ladder stuck up past the floor of the space a good bit and on one trip I mistakenly pressed too hard with my hands before putting enough weight on with my foot. The top of the ladder went in, the bottom of the ladder went out, and then both the ladder and I took a wild, fast ride down. I sprained an ankle, broke a foot (which the doctor didn’t catch at the time), but of bigger significance developed more than a little fear of heights.
3. I’ve had three brain concussions. I love reading medical research about how multiple head injuries are linked to degenerative brain disease later in life. (heavy sarcasm alert)
4. I’ve gone parasailing in FL and rode a skycoaster in Virginia Beach. I fully intended to go skydiving until I became a mom. My inner wild child left with the exit of that first placenta.
5. When I was a brand-new RN on orientation, I had the coolest mentor ever. She taught me a dozen survival skills for the CCU, and set up fascinating experiences. The best was when she called a surgeon and set up a day for me to watch open heart surgery. I’m not kidding. Not only did I stand beside the bed and watch them crank those ribs apart, the surgeon let me hold the heart so he could stitch the bypass on the back of it. And then when it was time to get that heart restarted, he let me hold the internal defibrillator paddles. I am still in awe.
6. I’m kind of looking forward to having a mid-life crisis …. at least if it means I get to drive the bright red little Mazda Miata convertible I dreamed of in my twenties.
7. In the past year it feels as though I have been learning so, so much more about God and what it means to be one of His children. I hope that someday soon I will be able to put some of this into words. For now, I’m still just thinking about it in my heart and trying to learn all I can. What I do know is that in many ways this feels like the wildest and most incredible ride of my life. I have rarely lived with my hands this wide open or with this many unknowns in my future. I have never lived with my hands this wide open, this many unknowns, and simultaneously felt so incredibly at rest. And about all I can say about that is “thank you, Jesus.” Over and over. I feel so excited about our future and that is completely a gift from God.
And now, I was supposed to tag a few people, but it’s been so long I can’t remember who did this and who didn’t since I procrastinated too long. Just humor me and leave me one “wild” thing about yourself. Please? It would make my day!
love it and i could totally see you in a Miata 😉
ohhh such great stories you have to tell. i’d love to tell more.
one of my fav ones in that my mom had to call poison control several times in a month when i was young because I had a bad habit of putting very dangerous things in my mouth. I ripped of the top of a liquid tylenol bottle dropper and drank the whole thing and also managed in the same week to eat several mouthfuls of plant fertilizer. i think that week was when my mom developed her first grey hairs 😉
I forgot about #5. That is so, so, so, so amazing!
The last night we were in Mexico one summer two of the other teachers and I were out taking one last walk around 3:00 in the morning. As we were walking we heard a Jeep driving on a street next to the one we were walking. All summer we had been wanting to go Jeep-ing and hadn’t gotten a chance. We decided to do one last crazy thing and took off running to see if we could flag down the driver and ask for a ride. We turned the corner…just to realize we had actually run into someone’s lane instead of a street. A 20-something guy stood there looking at us and wondering why 3 girls had come charging into his driveway. We sort of looked at each other wondering who would have the nerve to ask if we could have a ride. I can’t remember how it all came to be, but he did in fact give us a ride. We were expecting a short jaunt around the neighborhood. Instead he drove us all the way to the next town which was probably 20 min. away. The guys along the streets whistled and waved. We looked at each other, laughed, then started wondering what had happened to our brains. We had no cell phones, no one knew were we were and we were out riding around town with a complete stranger. Looking back I can not believe we were so.crazy. Seriously, we were in the middle of a Mennonite camp of sorts, but it was still stupid.
I can’t think of anything about myself right now…i am kind of boring..but this made me smile, and I can see you and Kaylin getting along very well.
Blessings and love as you keep your hands open to Him.
Hmmm, perhaps getting stopped coming home from the Fellowships in Ohio, going 95 on interstate. The kind cop dropped the speed to 80 and fined me.
love reading random things about people. Wild? Me? have to think about that one. Maybe that I got married at 19?? =) ha!
Michelle, your life is full of adventure, and fully alive…and I love to see that! #7 = the perfect number, right? =) Did you try that? Learning what it really means to be a child of God and the incredible rest you are experiencing in the midst of unknowns…. I’m so happy for you!!!
It feels pretty wild that I’m going to the hospital today for my last check up, and last week my Doc instructed me “don’t eat anything before you come, and if you look at me sideways, you’ll have a baby!”
I loved reading this list, Michelle. You must have given your parents more than a few gray hairs. 🙂
I rafted down the rapids of the Arkansas river in Colorado. I fell out of the boat and was almost pinned against a rock by the current pushing the boat into me. At the last moment, the guide yelled to me to let go of his paddle that he’d extended to me, and the boat slid over top of me instead.
@mytoesareblue – Oh, my goodness. You would have been my nightmare child. 🙂 I go a little nuts when the boys get into potentially poisonous substances!
@twofus_1 – I TOTALLY forgot this crazy story!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And you think I’m nuts for asking for a hot air balloon ride????????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 I wish you’d do this wild list tag. You would definitely have 7 + stories to tell. If you need help thinking of them, call me. 🙂
@lwstutz – NINETY-FIVE???? How much does your foot weigh???? 🙂 🙂
@Esther_lynn – Yeah that would have definitely classed as wild in my book!
@clearlyhis – Nope, didn’t even think about the number significance, but I hope it means good things. 🙂 I am sitting on pins and needles for you!!! Cannot wait to hear the good news!
@Jabber_wock – My eyes were bulging til I got done reading!!! I thought terrible things don’t happen on those trips and they just pretend they are really dangerous! That is crazy! Are you scared of water now?
I loved your wild list and found out so many things about you 🙂
As for wild things, I was helping my friend plug in a dryer and her hand touched the prongs when they were part way in giving her 220 volts of shock and then I since I was touching her, I got shocked too. It was quite a shocking experience 🙂
Oh my, I can totally relate to the “wild child” thing: I know for a fact that when my husband and I started dating there were people who made comments to him (he was laid-back, low-drama, and a diplomat)about “knowing what he was getting into” and if he can “keep up with me”. I got called “wild” to my face, and sometimes it only spurred me on more….
Well, I grew up in one of those communities where young people were watched and chaperoned heavily, and you didn’t even plan, much less carry out, very much wild stuff. It was very unpopular to be different and wild, it was very popular to be good and obedient and look, dress, talk and act EXACTLY like everyone else… everyone but me, that is. But within my realm, the best I could do to prevent being the stereotype that I hated seeing all around me was to choose things I was allowed to do… and do them better. Here is my wild story:
One of the things I was most notoriously known as “wild” for is attempting athletic feats that were fine for the guys in the community to be doing all the time, but not socially acceptable for the girls. One of those was biking. I decided girls were horribly under-represented in the biking department… so I paid a lot of money from my meager schoolteacher’s salary to buy a new expensive road bike that ranked up there with the male biking gurus, even down to the all-black color,carbon components, and the mere 24 lb. that it weighed. (Less is more with bikes, the lighter the bike, the faster you go). That in itself was controversial, girls should be content with cheap bikes. Anyway, I trained every weekend with my older, married brother, putting about 1,200 miles on the bike over the next 4 months. Yes, that’s almost 300 miles a month, 75 miles a week, and yes, those figures are correct. There was a landmark hill in the nearest town, called Radio Tower Hill because all the areas radio towers were on top of it, for obvious reasons, and it is one of the steepest, sharpest hills in the county. There was a narrow road winding up the hill to accommodate vehicles going up there to maintain the towers, since no one wants a residence on a hill like that in the middle of the snowbelt. It was nearly a mile to the top, because of all the switchbacks and S curves, and the ascent was anywhere from 5% to 18% grade, which is VERY steep. Well, the very best bikers in the community went THERE when they had trained themselves to the utmost, and even then only about a dozen guys in the community attempted it, since you had to bike 12 miles to get there, climb, descend, and then bike 12 miles home. About 25 miles round-trip. Also, you were NOT for any reason allowed to get off the bike and walk at any point. In order to have any kind of claim to the hill, you had to get to the top without.stopping.at.all. And that fall,after honing my body to biking perfection, I did it, with my brother, and I kept up with him. To be sure, I almost puked upon reaching the top, from the extreme exertion (and something called “lactic acid” which builds in your legs, etc.- You being a nurse can figure that one out). Also,coming back down, I didn’t descend slow enough and miscalculated the steepness of one curve, and when I braked, catapulted into the bushes and scared my brother out of his wits (he thought at the speed I was going I would have had to break my neck, but I only had a few scratches from a couple of the bushes being blackberry). All of that, of course, only added to the glory of climbing THE HILL. To be a biker and say you did the HILL was proof that you numbered among the elite, and I made sure my biker brother was along to witness, otherwise doubters (and there were plenty) would have said a girl just simply can’t do it. Which is why I did it, of course, to prove that a girl can. And since we Amish gals had to bike in skirts, and long ones at that, and had to wear cloth veilings instead of the aerodynamic helmets the guys wore, I always fiercely maintained that I had to work even harder to get up the hill because of all that fabric creating wind resistance for me- resistance my “opponents” did not have.
Oh, and less than a month later, I did it again. Now I not only got the title of being the first (and to my knowledge, only) female from the community to bike THE HILL, I did it twice in one season. Yes, the cluckers clucked, and people rolled their eyes because it was always me trying to do crazy things like that, and managing against the odds to do it. But they didn’t know that their disapproval just egged me on, because it proved I wasn’t one of THEM. I didn’t do it just because of that, I always gravitated toward athletics, and loved pushing my body to its limits, but being doubted and opposed because of my gender provided a lot of motivation.
Anyway, that’s my wild story. And for the record, I have only been on my bike several times in the last year, and I wouldn’t last 50 yards going up that hill now. Like you said, being a mother takes some of the wildness out, plus, what’s biking up a hill once you’ve spent 12 hours having a BABY?? No guy has ever done that… 🙂
Dan says when the kids are grown and gone he is going to buy me a Mini Cooper and himself a Miata! 🙂 *cantwaitbutnotrushingit*
I am not much of a wild person, I think. The hardest thing for me is THINKING of an example! Maybe this qualifies…
My homeschool friends here think of me as the “quiet Mennonite lady”. Haha! But this weekend they saw a little different side of me when we went to SC together. We stopped at Sonic for lunch and a convertible Mini Cooper pulled in beside us {another car full of women} and as they pulled in they put the top down {I watched in envy}. The most outgoing/crazy lady in the group told me to put my window down and ask if they’d like to switch vehicles with us. She about swallowed her chicken wrap whole when I actually did it! 😀 We all had a good laugh. The driver had just bought the car and was enjoying it greatly….she thought we WOULD get a good deal though, if we were to switch! 🙂 {we were driving a Honda Civic}
I think I am getting more nerve, maybe more brave?? as I age. Not sure if that’s a good thing or not?
@smilesbymiles – Hmm…no, but maybe I should be. After it happened and everything was okay, we rafted the rest of the day and felt like we had conquered the river.
I have been called wild, and there is always a part of me that is untamed and adventurous, but I can’t really think of specific examples. Does driving over 100 mph on more than one occasion qualify? Does moving to a community where I really didn’t know anyone count? Does it count that my hsuband and I would both like to get a motorcycle? I wish I wouldn’t be drawing a blank, because I can’t think of anything I really want to list as my “wild thing!”
This post & the comments are giving me a few good laughs today!
I had a wild side when I was younger, but usually covered it up quite well (my parents have been surprised by a number of things that I’ve told them in the last few years!). But like has been mentioned, motherhood has a way of suppressing those wild urges. I can’t think of any one incident that I’m willing to share publicly…most of those things I would rather forget! The only thing I’ll say is that I had (still have, if you ask my husband) a rather heavy foot. My little stick-shift Mazda (not a Miata!) and I reached triple-digit speeds on more than one occasion, and I think it was always on narrow back roads of Lancaster County where at any moment one could come upon a buggy or a bike rider. I shake my head in amazement that I never had an accident while going that fast. I was never fined for speeding until after I was married, and that time I wasn’t speeding intentionally!
Wow! How crazy are you?! I had no idea and never ever would have guessed these things about you. 😉 3 brain concussions??! How in the world have you managed that? And the open heart thing.. wow, that’s totally amazing! I would want to hear all about that in person! What a story!! I would love to hear the sights, sounds and even smells… lol Oh and I couldn’t agree more that serving God is a wild and interesting ride. And totally amazing that for someone who likes to be in control (ME!), I have absolutely no control here yet feel at peace, like you said.
Your getting lost story reminded me that my cousin and I set out on a walk at about 12 or 13 yrs old. We were walking and talking and not realizing how far we had gone and when we started paying attention, had no idea where we were. We had to ask a stranger which way back to the street I lived on, he had no idea where it was and then we told him the city and it turned out we had wandered into the next county. Ooops. We were gone for a while and my parents were getting worried and a little upset at us. 🙂 I have a very inward crazy side and have noticed the older I get the less I care about what people think. Not sure if that’s always good. Also, being a mom has made me very much afraid of things I never was, like others have said. Crazy how that works.
I enjoyed this blog so much, what an interesting person, I feel we could be soul mates!! 🙂
My latest escapade included playing “mama bear, protecting her young.”
My husband was at a meeting, I was in the house changing a diaper one evening, when 2 children came running in the house proclaiming, “MOM! There’s a Beaver following us around outside!” Since we do not live anywhere near water, I was immediately skeptical.
Upon investigating, it was a strange-acting groundhog, and it indeed was coming right up to us, walking in circles, looking very confused, dizzy, and dangerous! I was sure it was rabid. So, I ordered the children to stay away from it, and (mistake #1.)got the gun.
Finally getting it loaded(mistake #2.), the groundhog had moved to sit beside the truck tire. Well, I shot that groundhog in the dark… but I also managed to shoot a hole in my kind and patient husband’s truck tire.
The 4 year old immediately began wailing, and continued for 20 minutes. Finally I asked her why she is still crying?
Her response: “I’m afraid Daddy’th gonna thpank you when he getth home.”
I am glad to say I did not get spanked, and he even laughed instead of cried over his truck. 🙂 Rita
So fun!! I can totally see how you would have that crazy, lets-just-try-it kind of streak in you. That hiking story was quite incredible. And yes, I have a respect for your great-aunt. I probably would have been ticked off if I was her.
One wild thing about me: Well, I already did this post earlier, so I don’t know if I have anything new. I do love to just follow a whim sometimes and see what happens. Driving while playing “Words with friends??” Does that count as wild? Maybe more just stupid.
i have a severe respect for anything crazy fun wildness
So i think I would have really liked you in your younger years
When you have a mid-life crisis let me know, so I can have one too, and we can do fun things together. (can you blame those women who feel the need to wear purple hats in public?
) Anyway, i think I posted on this so I won’t take up much room w/ more, but white water rafting was definately of THE funnest things ever that I did, and would love to do again–if I wasn’t responsible for a little human being
Plus I grew up w/ four younger brothers who were a barrel of fun. need I say more?
oh yah, and the story of the lady patiently hiking in her dress shoes and pantyhose–hilarious!!!
you are awesome! 🙂 i’m totally jealous about #5 and in awe just reading that and imagining…love that for you! i am now scared of heights but i still plan on going skydiving. the older boys, myron and i are all going to do that…someday. let me know if you change your mind. you can join us! 🙂 and #7 has me telling you again that we just need to meet for that loooong conversation i’m needing with you.
This is cool. 🙂
The story of the lady who hiked the trail in pantyhose and dress shoes. Oh. My. Stars. And that she never said a word of complaint. Equally amazing.
You held a heart?? Unbelieveable. How ridiculously amazing.
Parasailing and all that fun stuff. Check a yes!! And I laughed at the ending of that number, because for years it was my dream to go sky diving too. And, like you, the dream seemed to flee with the exit of that placenta! Now the thought is nothing but absolutely terrifying! But that one just tickled me because I can so relate!
You are such an adventurer. 🙂 I just like that about you so much!
@Marita Huyard@facebook – That is HILLARIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bet your mom and dad didn’t think it was so funny though! 🙂