Who I Yam

I lack conviction. When I’m in the grocery store, I dig through the pile of potatoes, unable to choose one or I'll feel my way around half a dozen pears, in search of the perfect fruit, until I give up on the whole idea of potatoes or pears and walk away. This applies to other areas of my life, as well: my ideal location, my political views, my purpose in life, etc. There are, however, a few things I know to be true. I want to be a wife, I want to be a mother and I want to write. I’m engaged to be married in October, to a lovely fellow, so that means I’m a third of the way to achieving my life’s goals at the ripe old age of 25. And then I figure the mother thing will come along in a few years or so but right now, I’m concentrating on writing and making it more than just a little something on the side.

I grew up in Westchester, New York and I’ve lived in Brooklyn for about five months now, as my fiancé considers this borough to be the promised land. Before Brooklyn, I lived in Manhattan, where I’ve worked in non-profit communications for the past three years, since graduating from [redacted:)]. That’s where I was able to pursue my first true love, poetry. Poetry and I had a serious relationship throughout most of my life and while at [redacted], I studied with [redacted], who I believe to be a poetry goddess. Unfortunately, when I left the cozy academic bubble for real life, my ability to write poetry and express myself in verse, was stunted. After the past few years of struggling to produce any work that I'm proud of, and being disappointment in myself for this, I decided to try another genre. And so, here I am.

I very much define myself by my place in my family, though I’m often squirming to break free from it. I am the youngest of my Jewish parent’s two kids and the only girl. This makes me the little-sister-baby-girl. I’m extremely close to my folks, who just relocated to Connecticut and also to my older brother and sister-in-law, who are new residents of South Carolina, where my brother is beginning his residency in orthopedic surgery. He’s the smart one and well, I’m the funny, quirky one. We’re all different. Another thing you should know: I’m a crazy dog lady with no dogs - except for Libby, the sweetest golden retriever with a fierce assertiveness, who lives with my parents. She is my dear little friend, who I like to claim as my own. In addition to my lofty dreams of being a domestic goddess and a literary genius, I’d also like a house filled with dogs. If it wasn't for my handsome fiancé, there is a good chance that one day I would, indeed, be living in a house with hundreds of dogs, eating lean cuisines and watching reality television. There is still a very good chance that I will do that but at least now I'll have company.