Chani at Thailand Gal, one of the people I most admire, has posted this quiz on her blog today. It consists of 35 questions that were originally published in Vanity Fair, and is entitled "Answer as though you are not afraid."
1. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Understanding my life's purpose and knowing that I am living it.
2. What is your greatest fear?
Not leaving works of art behind when I die, (besides my children.)
3. Which living person do you most admire?
Anyone who is kind, generous, compassionate and loving to all, not just to selected friends and family members
4. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
impatience
5. What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Cruelty
6. What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Conformity
7. On what occasion do you lie?
To avoid hurting feelings. I try hard not to lie out of fear and assumed guilt, as I used to.
8. What do you dislike most about your appearance?
Just that I'm visibly aging. And I dislike that this bothers me as it is inconsistent with my belief that people can be beautiful at any age.
9. What is your greatest regret?
Poor judgments I have made because I lacked the self-confidence to know that I deserved better
10. What or who is the greatest love of your life?
My family
11. Which talent would you most like to have?
Writing great books that enrich the lives of those who read them
12. What is your current state of mind?
I feel as if I'm waiting for something, but I'm not sure what it is.
13. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I would be a better listener.
14. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Surviving so many dangerous events and unhealthy relationships that I wonder if I am really a cat, and if so, how many of my nine lives I have left.
15. If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?
I would like to return as a fully-realized person who is always able to help others in the ways they most need.
16. What is your most treasured possession?
The card that accompanied this year's Mother's Day flowers which said, "Thanks for being our mom. Don't ever stop."
17. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Being trapped in a body from which I am unable to express my thoughts to others
18. Where would you like to live?
Living in happy circumstances matters more than geographical location. I have lived in many places and put down roots to some degree in all of them because it is my nature.
19. What is your most marked characteristic?
Inquisitiveness
20. Who are your favorite writers?
Too many to mention, also, it depends on my mood.
21. Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
The first was Sidney Carton in "Tale of Two Cities." Later, Maggie Tolliver in "The Mill on the Floss" and Jo in "Little Women," Janie in "Their Eyes Were Watching God." Sayuri in "Memoirs of a Geisha." Mama Day in "Mama Day." Lara in "Doctor Zhivago," Rachel in "Moloka'i," Ellen in "Ellen Foster," Vianne Rocher in "Chocolat," Abel in "House Made of Dawn." Jack Burns in "Until I Find You," Lily in "the Secret Life of Bees," Cal in "East of Eden"
22. Who are your heroes in real life?
Those who manage to overcome obstacles and to become their best selves
23. What is it that you most dislike?
Dishonesty and indifference
24. What is your motto?
Live every day as if it were your last.
25. Favorite Journey?
Life
26. What do you value most in your friends?
Loyalty and compassion
27. Which words or phrases do you must overuse?
Nasty words directed at the wall between my apartment and the one next door
28. Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Robin Hood
29. What is your greatest extravagance?
Books
30. If you could change one thing about your family, what would it be?
My family of birth: A greater ability to feel and express love
My present family: Only proximity. I would love to live near all my children.
31. What is your favorite occupation?
Writer.
32. What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Wisdom
33. What is the quality you most like in a man?
Wisdom
34. How would you like to die?
At a very advanced age but still healthy, mentally and physically, surrounded by my loved ones
35. If you could choose what to come back as, what would it be?
A better-realized version of my present entity, one who would be able to fully utilize her talents and make better life choices.
