Recently, I caught up with my friend, Erika. I first met her while I was the interim youth director at a local church, during an Easter egg hunt. She was very appreciative of the time and care that went into the event. It was moments and interactions like those that reassured me I was doing alright, because that position was not easy, and I was quite lost at times! Haha. Thanks, Erika!

During our recent conversation, I asked her if she would be willing to be a guinea pig, of sorts, for this new project of mine. She excitedly agreed, but wanted to take her time with the questions and photos. (Which we took the following weekend.) She is a deep individual, like myself, so I totally understood. I sent her the questions so she could respond to me after thinking them over a little bit, and I have listed a few of her responses below.

What is something you are passionate about?

I’m an educator at heart. I am passionate about all of us digging a little deeper to figure out what we love and what we need to be doing in this life together. I believe we can help each other become better. That is why I chose teaching as a profession.

What are you proudest of, personally and professionally?

Personally, I am proud of my family and friends. I have been very blessed by them. I’m proud that we can know little-known things about each other, accept our differences and still love one another. I also think that I can extend that respect and love to others I don’t know that well because of the strength I feel from my family and friends. That feels like the right way to live, and I am proud of that.

There is one moment in particular that stands out as a proud professionally moment. Early on in my teaching career I taught the Life Skills class at the middle school. A student with Down Syndrome tried day after day to open his locker in the hallway. For more than a month he tried his combination, and for a long time the paraprofessionals or I opened it for him with a key when he couldn’t quite get it unlocked. Sometimes his shoulders would droop or he would hang his head while we were unlocking it for him.

Finally, I had an epiphany. I didn’t need a key to unlock his locker. I realized I was the key. I knew he wanted to open it, and I had to help him do that in a different way. It occurred to me that he couldn’t see or remember the numbers on the lock so I color-coded the dial. Instead of numbers he just had to look for red, yellow and blue strips of colored tape I had placed over the numbers. Two tries later he was popping open his locker independently. He was overjoyed and asked if he could use my phone to call his mother and tell her about his accomplishment.

That moment taught me that teaching isn’t about test scores or cramming facts into a given period of time and testing kids on said facts the next day. Real teaching is seeing what students care about and want to achieve and then working to inspire and guide them. That was a true professional awakening for me.

What does religion/spirituality mean to you and what role does it play in your life today?

Religion, the organized kind, is a bit of a vehicle. You have to test drive a few to see if you like the way it feels on the inside. You can’t just pick it for the shiny paint job or awesome hubcaps or you could be making a big mistake and will end up taking it back to the dealership in a hurry. It is best to shop around if you think a vehicle is right for you.

I also respect that some people need to park the vehicle and just walk the road. I believe we all have very personal ways of seeking out God or Spirit (and I’m pretty sure God can find us wherever we happen to be). Either way, vehicle or walking, I think true spirituality goes back to what you asked about passion. When I am doing the things I love, and proactively seek them out, that is when I’m most spiritual. Spirituality for me is listening to that part of myself that wants something more than a humdrum status quo life. It is reaching out into the great unknown and asking for more, and then recognizing when what I’ve asked for is given to me. This requires some faith and a lot of bravery.

I have a vehicle, but I also know that I can park and walk if I have to. Whatever it takes. I am committed to the journey.

Can you tell me about one of the most difficult moments in your life?

One of the most difficult moments in my life required me to choose what kind of person I wanted to be, and what I was going to value most in my existence. It was a deep struggle, a bit of a crisis, within me to determine what I valued most: material wealth or spiritual growth. I think you can have both, but I think the growth part has to be foremost in your heart and mind; otherwise material things have misplaced importance. That was a tough one for me. Everything we are surrounded by in the world tells us to strive for more material wealth. Advertising and a consumer-based economy says to buy this, buy that, and go into debt to possess it. It is a dangerous message that we can get lost in, and I think I was lost in it for a long time.

How do you choose what to say “No” to?

I say “no” to more now than I used to. I used to say “yes” to almost everything, and that was really stupid. I choose to say “no” to things I can’t reasonably do well within the time I have available in my day. I think it is wise to prioritize your goals and dreams and start saying “yes” to those first; everything else is on a case-by-case basis.

What is one material item you believe is essential?

I think you should have something you treasure from one of your grandparents. If you knew them and they loved you, they taught you a lot didn’t they?

I have a journal written by my great aunt about my grandmother’s family. It has stories about my great grandmother and it is a good reminder to me that there are people who came before me who struggled so I could be here. You can look at that object, whatever it is you have from a grandparent, and know that whatever you face, they faced something equally challenging and made it through. In that way, the elderly are really the hope for our future, but we have to know how to honor them and access their stories.

I thoroughly enjoyed the conversation and reading your responses to the additional questions. You were brave enough to not only be the first person to participate in this crazy project of mine, but you were also brave enough to be honest and vulnerable in doing so. I truly appreciate the time and giving a piece of yourself to me, and the world, really. You are a good soul and I am fortunate to have you around. Thank you once again, Erika!

Meet Erika