I love Christine Terrell’s work!! We met in Austin when we both lived there
Q: Was your life affected by someone else’s addictions or recoveries?
A. Absolutely. I often joke that I come from a long line of alcoholics. 3 of my grandparents used alcohol to numb themselves in one way or another. I was shielded from any direct issues, but the ripple effects of growing up in unpredictable and emotionally fraught homes clearly affected how my parents managed their adult relationships. Though they both struggled with typical security, communication and self-esteem issues, they each had great clarity that drinking was not how they would choose to spend their lives. Which, funny enough, I’m just now realizing was boundary setting. Which may explain why setting boundaries has always been pretty easy for me—I had some pretty clear examples early and often. Also, I’m fairly selfish about my time. It’s easier to set limits, say no and protect yourself when you’re selfish in that way.
Q: Do experience a state or flow or zen while creating?
A. Absolutely. Working is meditation for me. Ideally I love to have several hours to string together to really experience that flow, but I find that even in my interrupt-driven life, 20 minutes here and an hour there bring me almost as much peace and satisfaction. For me it’s a sense of relaxed purpose. I seem to always work pretty close to that sweet spot of where challenge pushes up against the edge of abilities and that’s the zone where flow happens naturally. (http://bit.ly/2naaLSK) As far as how it feels, it’s probably more telling to know what the absence is like for me. I tend to get ansty, irritable and restless if I can’t work for even a day or two. It’s why I take some sort of creative project with me whenever I go on vacation. I’m not a great relaxer to begin with!
Q. What’s brings you Seranity?
A. Watching my two teen boys grow into themselves fascinates my left brain and delights the right. So many people lament the teen years with their kids, but all I see is this amazing transformation and individuation. The amount of potential encased inside one being is almost too much to wrap your head around. And I’m not saying my kids are particularly extraordinary, it’s just this time of life that I find so endlessly intriguing. It’s interesting because I didn’t much enjoy my teen years and there are certainly lots of pitfalls to being a kid today, but none of that overrides the curiosity and genuine excitement I have about who my boys will become, what adventures they’ll undertake and what problems they will solve.
Thanks so much Christine! Loved talking to you.
Check out the 15% off discount Christine is sharing with our group!