the man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones

1. When was the last time you tried something new? over the last couple of days, I've cleaned and sorted and thrown out some stuff that I've been carrying around since high school. It's funny how it can take a really long time to get ready to be done with something, but once you are, it's easy to just say goodbye.
2. Who do you sometimes compare yourself to? lately, I seem only to compare myself financially. The rest of it is out of anyone's control.
3. What’s the most sensible thing you’ve ever heard someone say? "Don't get attached to the plan" is right up there. 
4. What gets you excited about life? learning anything new
5. What life lesson did you learn the hard way? friendship isn't always the most important relationship a person will have
6. What do you wish you spent more time doing five years ago? looking for a job outside of the flatland
7. Do you ask enough questions or do you settle for what you know? it depends on the circumstances. I am far, far less willing to shut up and take whatever someone else thinks is coming to me anymore, than I used to be. But I'm also far less willing to chase someone down and ask pointless questions that will get me nowhere. If I know that my time is worth more than hollow answers, then I won't waste my breath.
8. Who do you love and what are you doing about it? he knows. I'm doing what I can, within the bounds of conscience and patience. Most important, I'm just loving.
9. What’s a belief that you hold with which many people disagree? the question made me laugh; I don't hold a lot of popular beliefs. Prehaps my least popular notion is that ambition is neither necessary nor sufficient for a good life.
10. What can you do today that you were not capable of a year ago? another question that brought out a laugh. I'm capable of keeping some things in perspective that were definitely over-coloring my thoughts a year ago. I'm capable of walking and biking much, much further than I could a year ago. I'm capable of wanting something without having it. 
11. Do you think crying is a sign of weakness or strength? crying is each of those things and at least a dozen more. It is vulnerability. It is bravery. It is fear. It is manipulation. It is cravenness. It is immaturity. It is cleansing. It is an autonomic function. And it's OK if you don't know which one is happening, but only that your face is wet and maybe you're feeling a little better.
12. What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you? I don't worry too much about others judging me - and if I do end up in a judged situation, I am increasingly set against it. (Meaning: judge me at your peril, because I'll cut you off. Decide which is more important to you.) So, I guess that's it, right? I decide which is more important, and adjust accordingly. If some judgment strikes me a little close to the bone and makes me think that my behavior requires adjustment, then I'll think about it and make my choices. But it's far more likely to make me even more firm in my opinions and decisions.
13. Do you celebrate the things you do have? I try to. I try to wish all my FB friends a happy birthday. And to actually say, or write, thank you when someone does me a kindness. And to apologize when I've done wrong. To pay my way, literally and emotionally. Sometimes there's not a lot left, you know? Between work and health stuff, the costs and responsibilities that make up a life, there doesn't seem to be much room for what could be considered "extras," so they fall to the wayside. But that's when it's all the more necessary to stop and think about what's so important, anyway - is it the work, or what we're working for?  
14. What is the difference between living and existing? living is the procedure; existing is the policy. Pardon the metaphor, if you're no fan of manuals, but it's the first that comes to mind given what's happening in my work life lately. Living is the "what" - what we do, the details, day to day. And existing is the "why" - the point, overall, and what makes it make sense.
15. If not now, then when? the world doesn't jump to my whim. Sometimes it's not up to me, to make the final call. So even when my "when" is now, sometimes that's not enough. 
16. Have you done anything lately worth remembering? everything is worth remembering, if only for the lesson learned
17. What does your joy look like today? text messages from a friend/former coworker; poetry in a good book; cleaning and clearing out some stuff that's been too long in my possession; a very quick visit from a dear friend bearing bread & bananas; shiny new pedicure ("Cuckoo for this Color")...
18. Is it possible to lie without saying a word? of course. Lies of omission are the obvious example. There are also lies of implication, a nod or a shake of the head or a smile or frown when some other nonverbal answer is true. The sadder, perhaps saddest, example of this is when a relationship is over but the words have not been said. How is that better for anyone??
19. If you had a friend who spoke to you in the same way that you sometimes speak to yourself, how long would you allow this person to be your friend? I don't appreciate the implication of this question. Is it "normal," now, for self-talk to be negative and shameful? And for talk from friends to be superficial and dishonest? Up to this point I had thought this was a pretty good set of prompts - but this is not.
20. Which activities make you lose track of time? reading, writing, talking and texting
21. If you had to teach something, what would you teach? God, please, no
22. What would you regret not fully doing, being or having in your life? impossible to answer. Everything that I've done, all the choices I've made, are a part of who I am. Of course I'd love to go back and give up some of them, or trade in some patently stupid choices for Door #2. But the whole fabric unravels, then. If I give back Paul, then I lose the friendships with his other exes. If I choose against Russ, then I miss out on Brent. If there's no Ulysses, then everything that came later - where I am now, even - is in jeopardy. So how can I?  
23. Are you holding onto something that you need to let go of? of course. I think everyone does that. There's still tons of stuff in my house that I should and maybe will throw out, soon. I'm not at a particularly healthy weight, which affects other aspects of my medical situation. Emotions are messy and complicated. People are, too. 
24. When you are 80-years-old, what will matter to you the most? ask me when we get there, eh?
25. When is it time to stop calculating risk and rewards and just do what you know is right? when you've reached the age of majority. Life is short, and apart from being safe and not hurting anybody else, it's not meant to be lived "carefully." 

[Retrieved from here. The title quotation is by Confucius, from The Analects.]