I Hardly Know Her!

As National Adoption Month continues, we are stepping into the world of transracial and transcultural adoption. We will learn more specifically what those terms mean, and how they impact the dynamics of an adoption scenario. My guests, Stephanie and Jenna Pearl are an adoptive mother and daughter, who was adopted from China, who are eager to share their story in hopes of broadening the conversations around this topic so others can navigate the experience with more confidence. If you need access to resources for adoption, on any side of the triad, please reach out to adoptanewbeginning.org, where you can find the support and tools you need to find joy in your journey. Adoptees - join in the conversation with YANA, a support program specifically for adopted kids/youth/young adults, with a mission to remind you, You Are Not Alone.

November is National Adoption Month and for the next several episodes I’ll be sharing some different perspectives and stories through interviews with people in the adoption space. Adoption covers a large spectrum of dynamics and my goal during this month is to help create a safe place for conversations to be had around a challenging topic. This episode recounts a bit of my personal story of a hidden-unplanned-pregnancy-turned-adoption story, and I read a chapter from my award-winning autobiography, “Not My Plan; Sucking it in Until I Had to Push it Out.”

I recently ran my first 10k and honestly one of my favorite things about pushing myself physically to try and reach for something new is that I always seem to find these experiences as a time for reflection on my life and all of the things that define WHO I am as a person. And just like running/jogging/walking a 10k one step at a time, so must I continue heading towards the more refined person I want to be and things that I want to accomplish with my life.

On a recent trip to the grocery store (WinCo on Fairview and Milwaukee in Boise Idaho to be exact) I had three very pleasant interactions and thoughtful conversations that had me thinking of moments from my past, my current struggles, and a glimpse of a future with a bright and sunny attitude even when things are a struggle. Although I’m no Ebenezer Scrooge - I have been pretty grumpy for a while, having a hard time letting go of some things that really piss me off. And I can tell I’m choking a bit on a victim state with a couple issues in particular. I hate when there is a lack of resolution and I hate being taken advantage of. So, in the spirit of self reflection and a desire to move forward - I’m grateful for the people who were interactive in engaging with me with their personal life perspectives as I roamed about the store unsuspectingly.

We gotta stop calling our passions, our interests, our goals in life “little.” We may not always feel like everything we do matters, but in so many ways, our “little” efforts, or our natural talents and passions we see as a hobby might be a VERY big deal for our own growth.

I interviewed Christi with “Talk of the Table,” and it was an insightful, inspiring, and mouthwatering experience.

HOORAY! I turned 40 this week and to celebrate I compiled a list of words and principles that are important to me and that guide my relationship with myself and others.

When it hit me like a bolt of lightning that it was time to change my name back to my maiden name there was no looking back. This change brought me such clarity and excitement for the future by returning to myself.

Refusing to even accept that other people have a valid opinion, even if we don’t AGREE with them basically just implies that we think we are smarter or in some other way, BETTER, than other people. While that might be true...that attitude is no way to help create a more peaceful society.

When you’ve been a disciple of improv principles for as long as I have, y’think about not only how powerful the word “yes” can be, but also how to couple it with the best kind of intentions and energy to use “yes” for good, and not as a destroyer of hopes and dreams!

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