Ah, the magical power of questions…Who am I? What makes life worth living? How do we learn to live together? Contemporary American writer, Igrid Bengis, claims "the real questions are the ones that obtrude upon your consciousness whether you like it or not ... the ones that you "come to terms with" only to discover that they are still there. The real questions refuse to be placated." Do I ever know what she means!
Seeking answers to questions, I've pursued education. I've earned a Bachelor's Degree in English and Psychology from University of California, Berkeley, a Masters Degree in creative Writing from California State University, Sacramento, and a Doctorate in Multicultural Studies from Union Institute in Cincinnati. As a student, I've found a few answers ... and a lifetime of questions. Seeking answers, I've explored careers. Over the years, I've worked as a waitress, cook, child-care provider, housekeeper, piano teacher, public relations director, substance abuse counselor, literacy coordinator, librarian, newspaper writer, and now, English instructor. I've sought answers and found a few delightful ones in hobbies; I love to bead, backpack, bike, garden, swim, read, and paint. I've written and published poetry, plays, and short stories exploring answers, and, of course, discovering new questions.
I've found most of my answers, as well as new questions, in my relationships with people. Good friends and fierce enemies challenge and guide me; my husband and my daughter comfort and teach me. So, too, do my students. Daily, they ask the questions that prompt me to believe in the magic of questions seeking answers, of life seeking to discover itself in human form.