The Time Their Great-Uncle Caught His Hand in the Hay Baler

From Sunday Stealing
2014/2015

1. What one event, big or small, are you going to tell your grandchildren about?

A. I have no children, and hence no grandchildren, but maybe I will tell some future great-niece or nephew about the time their great-uncle caught his hand in the hay baler and lived to tell about it.

2. If you had to describe your 2014 in 3 words, what would they be?

A. This year sucked.

3. What new things did you discover about yourself?

A. I have less patience than I once did.

4. What single achievement are you most proud of?

A. I still get up every morning.

5. What was the best news you received?

A. Personally, my best news was that my bleeding ulcers were finally healing, a year after they were diagnosed. In my marriage, the best news was that my husband would not lose his arm and/or hand.

6. What was your favourite place that you visited in 2014?

A. Barnes and Noble.

7. Which of your personal qualities turned out to be the most helpful this year?

A. Righteous anger. Hell, I don't know.

8. Who was your number one go-to person that you could always rely on?

A. My husband, along with a couple of friends whom I shall not name.

9. Which new skills did you learn?

A. I learned how to walk with a cane.

10. What, or who, are you most thankful for?

A. My husband.

11. If someone wrote a book about your life in 2014, what kind of genre would it be? A comedy, love story, drama, film noir or something else?

A. A tragedy with a moderately decent ending, in that the hero and heroine (my husband and myself) are not dead yet despite apparent efforts of the universe to put them into the ground.

12. What was the most important lesson you learnt in 2014?

A. I know "learnt" is a real word, but it's not one used much in modern English. I did not learn that, I already knew it. Otherwise, I learned how important it is to hold someone's hand when you love them and they are in pain.

13. Which mental block(s) did you overcome?

A. I don't know that I overcame any of them.

14. What 5 people did you most enjoy spending time with?

A. I am not going to list people, although my husband is always number one.

15. What was your biggest break-through moment career-wise?

A. I didn't have one.

16. How did your relationship to your family evolve?

A. I found out that my brother could be counted on to help me out in an emergency.

17. What book or movie affected your life in a profound way?

A. I cried over The Hobbit: Battle of Five Armies even though as a last movie to a great series it totally missed the mark. The Book Thief (book, not the movie), also moved me.

18. What was your favourite compliment that you received this year?

A. Several people have told me I have great strength although I do not see it.

19. What little things did you most enjoy during your day-to-day life?

A. Looking out my window at nature as she passes by.

20. What cool things did you create this year?

A. I don't know that I created much of anything, except perhaps a little chaos now and then.

21. What was your most common mental state this year (e.g. excited, curious, stressed)?

A. Depressed.

22. Was there anything you did for the very first time in your life this year?

A. I went to the University of North Carolina's Women's Hospital.

23. What was your favourite moment spent with your friends?

A. Any moment spent with any of my friends is a favorite moment. I love the women I hang out with.

24. What major goal did you lay the foundations for?

A. I've stuck with physical therapy and I went back to Weight Watchers. I'm doing okay with the former and failing miserably with the latter, at least right now. Maybe it will get better.

25. Which worries turned out to be completely unnecessary?

A. For a while there I feared my husband would lose his arm, but he did not. I'm not sure that was unnecessary, though. I was worried that my ulcers wouldn't heal but they have, so maybe that one was unnecessary. I tend to worry a lot over things anyway.