Hello all! Grab a cup of something
wonderful and have a seat, because you are in for a real treat today.
Today, it is my honor and privilege
to welcome to the blog someone who personally inspires the living hell out of
me: the amazing Cait Reynolds!
Welcome, Cait! Tell us a bit about
yourself.
CR: I'm Cait Reynolds. I like to say I'm a writer,
transplanter, lover, and human being...not necessarily in that order. I am
terrible at writing bios about myself and will do almost anything to get
someone to do it for me. Like...bake cookies. Or do their laundry. Or
something. But, I'll do my best here.
I live in Boston with my husband and our snuggly, neurotic,
metrosexual diva of a dog, Denny. I like Jack on the Rocks, good cheese, and
books about the history of science. I speak French and understand enough
Italian to get myself in trouble. Oh, I have a kidney transplant - going
on 8 years now. Woo! Go me!
Finally, I'm not hallucinating for no reason. I'm
hallucinating myself successful. I'll let you all know if it works.
You are one of the most fascinating
people it has ever been my privilege to come across in life, honestly. You’re
inspired, inspiring, witty, fun, and mind-bogglingly smart. I am more than a
little in awe!
That said, here are your questions…
Q1: You’ve been through medical
challenges that most people could not begin to fathom, yet you have a tenacious
grip on life and a will to be happy that is astounding. Could you tell us a
little about your philosophy on life and happiness?
CR: I believe that happiness is a choice. We can't always
control what happens to us, but we ALWAYS have a choice about how we react to
it and deal with it. That choice is pretty much the only guaranteed thing in
life that we have control over. I choose to be happy and optimistic because the
alternative seems to me to be a waste of precious minutes of life when I could
have been happy. I want to die knowing I spent my time on earth being happy.
I know everyone follows their own path, but for me, I'm
pretty hardass about plowing ahead and being disciplined in choosing happiness.
Even in the worst situations of my life, I have known deep down that once the
initial grief and shock passed, I would steel myself to focusing on choosing to
be positive and optimistic.
Choosing happiness for me is like a natural reflex now. It
wasn't always. But, just like working out, it's a habit and a strength you
develop over time, attempts, failures, and eventually with ease. I refuse to be
passive or be a victim because now that I know I have this deep well of
determination, being anything other way seems like the equivalent of being an
emotional couch potato.
Q2: What are the things that feed
your soul? I know popcorn feeds your body: I love it too and would also
definitely take it with me to a desert island, no doubt… (See Cait’s blog for
more on her love of popcorn.)
CR: Strangely enough, reading non-fiction about history and
science makes me so happy. This world is so amazing, and everything from the
history of astronomy to ancient Chinese detective novels, to how much
carpenters were paid in Renaissance Italy is all so engrossing and fascinating
to me. I want to know ALL THE THINGS!
I find Japanese wood block print art very soothing and
relaxing to look at. I love all kinds of art, but with my hyperactive brain, I
make it a point to find things that are visually soothing.
My true happy place is at the beach. I love jumping in the
ocean, beach combing, sitting under the umbrella with a non-fiction book, or just
staring at the changing light on the water. You just can't have a bad day at
the ocean. I even love cloudy days on the water.
Basically, my soul is like a Pinterest board gone way, way
out of control. But, I like to think it keeps me interesting.
Q3: That it does! You are always
moving, going, doing, being, experiencing, adventuring. What is something on
your dream list that you haven’t done yet and how do you plan to accomplish it?
CR: There are three main places on my bucket list that I am
going to get to: Mongolia, Easter Island, and the Arctic Circle. I'm fascinated
by remoteness, vastness, and historical mystery.
Ironically, the easiest one is the Arctic Circle. My best
friend lives in Alaska, so all I have to do is show up on her doorstep, and
boom, we are Arctic-Circle-bound.
I have actually figured out how to get to Easter Island. You
go JFK to Santiago, Chile, and then fly 8 hours out into the Pacific to the
island. Interestingly enough, Easter Island has a Holiday Inn, a Hertz
Rent-a-Car, and a modern medical facility. Rapanui-ho!
In terms of Mongolia, you go LAX to Seoul, South Korea, and
from there, you catch Korean Air to Ulaan Batur. I want to ride across the
steppe (or at least a little part of it) and go traipsing about for a bit in
the Gobi Desert.
I also want to run the Boston Marathon. We shall see.
Q4: There is so much we can learn
from you… Tell me, what advice would you give to anyone who may be facing
health and medical challenges on an ongoing basis? What is the best way to keep
your chin up and your heart set on happiness, despite it all?
CR:
There are two parts to my answer for this.
First,
practice choosing happiness. This isn't just like flipping a switch. You have
to work at it, building up a reflex and habit that eventually kicks in
automatically. Choosing happiness isn't about ignoring awful truths or the
reality of your circumstances. It's about saying, "Okay, what is good in
this situation? What am I grateful for? Is there anything I can work on that
might change things for me?" Choosing happiness is about taking ownership
and control over the one thing you will always have control over - your mind
and heart.
Second,
I like to say, "Until you're dead, you've got a future." But, bear
with me here. If you have a future (a day, a week, a decade), then you have
time. Time implies opportunity to make choices. Ergo, you will always have a
choice. So, choose to say, "You know what? This thing that is happening to
me sucks, but I'm not wasting my precious life energy on moping. I'm going to
go sit in the sunshine and read an awesome book. Or, I'm going to make it a
point this week to talk to three friends I haven't seen in a while."
Just...choose
happiness...with all your heart.
Q5: *bonus question for everyone* Do you collect anything? If so, why?
CR: You mean aside from my small obsession with handbags
and Saoya jewelry from France? LOL!
Actually, I collect editions of "Beauty and the
Beast." It's my favorite fairytale. I have several versions in French that
I bought in Paris, and I have some very rare versions illustrated by Mercer
Mayer and Errol LeCain.
~*~
Wow. That is all I can say at the
end of this interview: Wow. I am going to be thinking about it for a long time,
and admiring you, endlessly!
Thank you so much for spending some
of your precious time with us today, I truly appreciate it!
You can all find out more about
awesome Cait and her writing by visiting her at: http://caitreynolds.com
See
you all next time for another fascinating Clockwork Conversation, during our continuing June Interview Extravaganza!
