What is your favorite word?

A journalist recently did a long interview with me. I hope it will not make me look too bad…

After hours of talking, she also had a few very basic questions, that are standard questions for the type of article she would be writing, like what is your birthdate and your current title and where do you live.

There were some fun questions as well:

They are not cute. They are scary.

Do you have any phobias?

I did not need to think long about that one. I am scared to death by rats and mice. Cockroaches are gross, but I can handle them. Snakes too. And spiders. Mice and rats however make me lose my breath. Those beady eyes, the nose that moves all the time, the long tail, the stiff fur. I get the creeps.

Then they asked what did I want to become when I was a child.

I remember wanting to become a nurse because I liked their uniforms—starched hats and white dresses. In the early seventies when I was a small sprout in the farmlands of Norway, a nurse’s uniform was a dream outfit. I also wanted to become the prime minister, but that was later.

What am I good at, they asked.

I thought about what I am good at and felt like while I can do a lot, I am not super good at much. Like, I can go for a run, but not win a race. I can read books, but never get the best score in class. I think that I am a pretty good mother. I help my kids with homework and I feed them well. But I did not want to write that in case it sounded cheesy. So I said that I am good at making good food. Because this is really true. I make delicious food. Better than most.

Cooking is my secret weapon

What is your favorite word they also wanted to know.

I thought that was a hard question. I thought of it for a long time. I thought I probably should have said Love, Forgiveness, Generosity, Integrity or something big like that. But I thought about what word makes me happy without fail, what word that makes me excited to be alive and ready to take on anything. It’s not beer (although I thought about saying that that was my best word too). It is the Norwegian word for going for a walk, going for a hike, going skiing, trekking: TUR. That is my favorite word. TUR.

TUR

If I had been the newspaper I would have added a few more questions: What is your favorite possession? (Maybe they thought that was too materialistic.)

I have a lot of favorite possessions and I guess it depends on the situation. I love my slippers and they are the first thing I look for when I come home. I can’t walk in the house without my slippers. But something else I love is my computer. It is sad to say so, but so much of my life depends on my computer. I think I love it and hate it. It used to be my iPod. I could not run without it. But now I am bored of my music and too busy too find new so I don’t use it much. I love my desk. It is my own messy world.  My desk and my slippers. Boy, do I ever sound boring.

I think I would have asked what five items would I have brought to a desolate island too.

Let’s see: My journal, a pen, a blanket, a lighter and a knife. Or: My journal, a pen, a knife, a pot and a lighter. Or: A devotional like My utmost for his highest with blank pages in the back to journal, a pen, a knife, a lighter, a pot. Should I prioritize the journal? Such a hard choice.

I can go on and on. What would I bring if my house was on fire? Easy: All our photos. What’s the most useless item in my house? A potato washing glove.

How about you? What is your favorite word, your phobias, your childhood dreams and favorite possession? Who is the person you would like to have lunch with right now (except your spouse or mother)? I think…not Johnny Depp. I would feel too awkward. Perhaps Meryl Streep. I think we would have a lot to talk about. And of course: Aung San Suu Kyi. But she is so busy right now, running for an election and all.

In any case. I hate rats and I can cook great enchiladas, I like my slippers and to go for walks in all kinds of weather. I want to have Meryl Streep over for lunch, and I don’t want to become a nurse any more. My little exercise made me look quite eccentric. Sorry about that. I am a lot more exciting than you think. I hope.

Tur