What Do You Love Becky-Boo?

The following questions were answered by my primary caregiver, my mother, Pam.
She explained that this was particularly hard because I am the youngest of 5 children.

1. What was I like in the first 5 years of my life?

I was a happy, content, non-demanding, easy to get along with, fun child.

2. What things did I love and what did you thin was unique about me?

I loved to sing, dance, play with my siblings, be with other people, play outside, act as a peace-keeper in groups, play with animals (real or toys), be imaginative, talk about animals from Africa and play with toy animals from Africa.

3. What did you think I would become when I grew up?

Care for animals, be a singer, or be a teacher.

Five friends speak on the topic of my strengths.

1. What do you think are my greatest gifts/strengths?

This was an amazing assignment, I did not know what my friends would write, but I was blown away by the loving words that my friends described me as. I felt and feel so loved as I reread the words that my friends describe me as. I am blown away by the generosity of positive words from my loving friends; I love each one of them so much (even before they described me this way, ha)!

My BFF Anna:
Alright your gifts and talents.

I think you are very gifted in relationships in general. You have a gentle spirit which breeds compassion. You are an excellent listener. And I would argue that your passion is a gift as well. You're passion is unique and consistently followed up by research and knowledge and most importantly ACTION. You think for yourself and you're willing to research and learn when necessary to grow your mind. You have an open mind to see all possibilities. I think your gifted in, or have a strength in, the positive ways you see the world.

You are talented musically. I've never met another lady with a voice like yours. It began as a talent and you've mastered it well with intentional investment and work. I think you're also talented artistically which comes out in many different forms instead of an organized medium. I think you're also talented as an encourager if that makes sense. You seem to have an ability to see where people need positive encouragement and naturally know the perfect things to say to boost that part of them. It is an incredibly important talent that you use very well. I believe that you make people feel better about being simply themselves just by them being in your presence.

My boyfriend Jim:
strong (stand up for yourself)
caring
giving
compassionate
loving

My kindred spirit Sue:
hmmm..your greatest gifts..actually you have many..and not one specific thing...you have the ability to break the ice with people..and not a lot of people are skilled in that...you can open up anyone! but even moreso, u look far into the future...you disregard a person's outer shell...and are far more interested in our thoughts of the present and future..with that, you connect to that person with your own personal thoughts, as well...it's as if finding the right shoe and fitting it perfectly...

let's see what else...

you are one of a kind, becky..from being a musician to putting your outfits together, to making everyone laugh...you have that charismic attitude, and people are magnetically drawn to you!

even with your mature ways of thinking, you also have that inner child within you that makes you so contagious! life is not meant to always be serious..but to live life to it's fullest! and that includes having chair races at work! (hahahah!)

the other thing that i admire about you is..your love for people..you would like to extend your hand to everyone in need..just like mother teresa! in a way, you both share the same beliefs and would like to help humanity in some kind of way, shape, or form!

Becky, you are amazing! i can say i have many friends and acquaintances but you stick out, seriously! you're always positive about life, even when life hands you lemons! you're always accepting to those you love and patient! I consider you as a blessing in my life..and i am truly grateful to know someone like you! you inspire me in such a way to reach my goals..and to know that you'll always be there, even if we may not see each other as often!

My longtime and loyal friend Bryce:
Your greatest gifts are your compassion, openness and positive aura. when a helping hand is needed, you stand up and offer it. when things change, you adapt. you've got a good soul, a creative mind and mass smarts. in short, i know you're capable of doing great things and even if you don't think of yourself as a leader, you have the skills to work with people to make this world a better place.

My silly and loving friend Julie:
your greatest talents and gifts (in my opinion and in no specific order)...
1. giving
2. nurturing
3. honest *
4. creative
5. insightful
6. motivated
7. good listener
8. sense of humor
9. gets along with others very well
10. open minded
11. can see different perspectives/angels of people and situations
12. supportive*
13. positive *
14. natural/authentic/genuine (whatever word you like best)
15. personable (easy to talk to)
16. innovative (has ideas she wants to implement and is willing to try)
17. idealistic

Childhood activity-catching fireflies:

One of the activities that I remembered loving during my childhood years is catching fireflies. By going to a museum, as we are in winter and there are no fireflies, I was able to have that childlike feeling of being immersed in nature. I went to the Lincoln Park Zoo (a great zoo that is free) and watched the animals and bugs with my boyfriend. My boyfriend joked that I should live at the zoo or at least work there because I love the animals so much. I had, not the same, but similar feeling to catching fireflies while at the zoo. I was able to watch the unique beauty of the animals, as I did with the fireflies. I did have a feeling of lightness, of joy as I was at the zoo. I loved just looking at the big paws of the lions, the tails of the primates, the ants carrying the huge pieces of food, the seals swiftness and grace in the waters, similar to the bright-steady light on the fireflies. It was fun just to enjoy natures beauty, it made me want to dream about the beauty in the world, the uniqueness of everyone (and everything) and the endless possibilities in our world. I’m so glad I did something to please my heart, rather than just check off things on my to-do list. It was quite freeing to indulge in something you love.

Who Do You Think You Are, Becky?

1. Why are you taking Leadership for Change?

I am a point in my life where I am challenging what I am doing (major, future plans, etc.) and what I want to do. I was looking for a class and a fellow classmate (Tiffany Jimenez) told me about a class she was taking this semester, leadership for change. After discussing how amazing this class sounded, I decided this class was perfect for me. I am a Sociology major, so I love the for change part of the course description and I want to better develop myself as a leader (in whatever way that may be). I also was interested in taking a class that not only helped me to develop intellectually, but also individually, spiritually, introspectively, etc.

2. What do you hope to get out of this course?

I hope to develop leadership skills from within myself, not other people’s leadership skills, but my own. I hope to look at my life in a challenging way, such as are these my goals or others goals I have taken as my own? I hope to at the end of this semester understand myself, past experiences (both good and bad), goals, skills, loves, etc. I hope to grow in a positive way.

3. What fascinated me as a child?

As a child I was fascinated with hearing, creating, acting and imagining stories. I loved being outside and seeing majestic scenes (such as a thick forest with animals and streams in the morning). I was attracted to animals, all kinds, and bugs (especially the bright green sorts). I was attracted to sports, especially swimming, running and baseball. I loved singing and dancing to music, others music and my own. I enjoyed being creative with art projects. I was fascinated with adventures of all sorts, especially seeing and experiencing new things (such as seeing buffalo for the first time).

-What sense did you live most for?

As I look back, I seem to remember the importance of sight in my life and the importance of smell (I can still remember the smell of my mothers flowery lotion).

-What did you love to do or dream about? What are some dreams that you never told to anyone?

I loved to imagine myself singing for a huge group of people on a stage. I also remember dreaming about rescuing all the animals in the world that didn’t have food, love and shelter. I would dream of taking all those animals and putting them on an island where they could live in harmony and be taken care of by me. I also loved to act out famous stories or make up my own, such as acting out an explorer on an adventure in my back yard.

-Is there a part of me that still loves those things?

Yes, although some of my main dreams have changed I still love animals, being creative, being adventurous and performing for others.

-What talents may those early abilities lead to?

These talents may point to what we would label a veterinarian, humanitarian, writer, artist, singer, creator of sorts, traveler, actor and performer. I find this a hard question, how do I sum up my early talents into an occupation or unified position?