Pancakes, waffles or French Toast as your breakfast favorite? 

It’s weird but I’ve pretty much lost my taste for all three of these since gluten turned on me. We used to make fabulous French toast from this yummy sweet bread my friends brought back from a Boston bakery, though – now that was deliciousness.

Do you think a person’s name influences the person they become?

I do, with “influences” being the operative word here. We make our own destinies, yes, but societal norms shape how people react to us and therefore how we present to the world. For example, a woman named Lola or Angel may find it difficult to be taken seriously as a scientist. Girls named Joy, Melody, or Grace might feel a subtle pressure to be upbeat, optimistic, or otherwise live up to their name, so to speak. Naming a kid is a major responsibility, folks.

Would things get better or worse if humans focused on what was going well rather than what’s going wrong?

I don’t know that it would get worse but I don’t think it will get better. If we focus on what’s going well it tends to make us feel better, more content, grateful for what we have…and don’t get me wrong, that’s all good. But if we don’t focus on what’s going wrong in the world – if we don’t see what needs to change, both in our own lives and in others – then there really is no hope of building a more equitable world.

Is math(s) something that humans created or something we discovered? Is looking at reality mathematically an accurate representation of how things work?

Ack! My English major brain just imploded a wee bit. It’s so late and I’m a double margarita in so let’s put it this way: math is math is math. We can’t survive without it and I for one am super grateful to have it in my arsenal when it’s time to cook or bake or mix a drink. Good enough? Good enough.

What are you grateful for right now?   I realize it’s difficult to be very positive right now, unless one is being positive that things are pretty awful.   Let’s spread the joy in gratitude!! 

I think it goes without say the double margarita is on this list. Ditto for gluten free brownies, sleeping in, cat snuggles, fuzzy throw blankets, and sunny days.

Sparks from a Combustible Mind hosts Share Your World.