About Me — Cara Christine
An Inquisitive Rambler
Hello world, my name is Cara.
I’m a Northeastern American woman that loves anything related to food, art, and human nature. I like to think of myself as open-minded and curious with an instantiable desire to experience everything I feel drawn to. Nature is my happy place, preferably in the woods on a mountain somewhere, near a dazzling body of water. This is where I feel most at peace.
For now, my general goal in life is to learn as much as I can and give back to society in the ways I know-how. Medium is a platform that introduced me to many of my favorite authors, a place I found objective advice when I needed it most, reignited my imagination, and reminded me I absolutely need to express myself creatively. Unfortunately, in 2021 I was too afraid to hit the publish button, but thankfully we have New Year’s Resolutions!
What are my functions?
I’ve been in the foodservice industry since I entered the labor force as a teen. This career path helped me cultivate my passion for food and the art of cooking. I’m grateful for the variety of skills I’ve acquired from my time in this industry. Soft skills like effective communication, leadership, critical thinking, and teamwork are invaluable these days. However, upon entering my most recent decade of life, I decided it was time to try something new. So, after an existential crisis or two, I asked myself: was I currently being true to my younger self?
I’ve been dabbling with coding and graphic design since the good old days of the internet (the 90s). Eleven-year-old me knew how to enter a flow state. She would kick back with a Coca-Cola and tap into her creativity; she would express herself. She didn’t give a shit what the world thought of her. Back in these days, the internet was all HTML, CSS, Yahoo! chat rooms, and anime fan forums; it felt like there wasn’t a care in the world. Eleven-year-old me knew best, but I’ve always been someone who naturally challenges everything and everyone, so I drifted toward other interests.
Fast forward twenty years, the adult version of me finally stopped being stubborn and decided to start ignoring the detour signs. I needed to get back to my roots and get busy in the virtual world. It was time to load my metaphorical backpack with my skills and experiences and start a new chapter. Now I’m on a path to completing a degree in computer science with a specific interest in frontend development.
I have finally accepted that monotony distresses my soul in all aspects of my life. As I continue along my journey, I’m discovering that I need to entertain multiple projects to maintain a healthy level of satisfaction.
What are my hobbies and interests?
I have a vast array of hobbies and interests so I’ll stick with the basics.
I love to socialize and enjoy picking humans’ brains from all different walks of life. I love to engage in conversation, but I’m not too keen on small talk. I want to know what keeps you up at night.
I enjoy maintaining a healthy lifestyle through diet and exercise. My love of cooking comes in handy when I’m trying to discover new ways to spice up a vegetable or make a healthy meal taste like comfort food. I run or hike when the weather cooperates, and I make sure to exercise at least five days a week.
Coding is therapeutic to me; writing unravels my mind. One of my favorite ways to spend time alone is with lo-fi humming out my speakers while embarking on a new personal project.
I decompress with the fantasy genre through series like Game of Thrones or Harry Potter. I will always have a soft spot for Anime (Sailor Moon is my spirit animal). I also like reading philosophy and dissecting the unanswerable questions of life.
I love all animals, more specifically, my cat Gatsby.
What do you write about?
For the sake of fortune-telling, I will attempt to answer this question. However, please note, this answer is always subject to change.
I like to experience life and all it offers, so no topic will ever be off the table. I write and will continue writing about what interests me. Writing is a tool that can inspire healing, so I share personal experiences to hopefully help others find commonality within their human experience. I explore philosophical and psychological concepts that challenge our beliefs and hopefully make us better people. I share scientific discoveries I get excited about because it is essential to observe how quickly our world is changing. I suppose I will stick to what I know best and branch out to different topics in the future.
More importantly, however, is why I write.
Okay… So why write?
There are endless answers to that question, but I will focus on my top three reasons. The first two are selfish and less important than the third but still worth acknowledging.
1. I write to get to know myself. I believe the journey of self-discovery is lifelong and needs to be carefully catered to like a beautiful garden of wildflowers. Each bunch must be maintained and properly taken care of; although some may need less attention than others. Writing is one way I sustain a relationship with my brain, articulate my thoughts and emotions, express my goals, and strategically plan my future.
1.5. I also find writing to be some sort of wizardry. If I write about something enough, most of the time, it magically comes to fruition as if the ink in my pen is concocted out of some type of manifestation potion.
2. I write to get better at writing. In my opinion, the best way to get better at something is to put reps in. I want to be a better writer, and so I practice daily.
3. I write to connect with people. Whether my writing reaches someone on a deeper level silently or creates a physical/verbal connection, I’m accomplishing the most crucial goal of writing. Communication and sharing ideas are how we grow as individuals and collectively. Engaging in conversation with each other, whether we agree or disagree (politely, of course), is imperative to the evolution of society. I want to be a part of that and help in any way I can, so I write.
So now you know a little about me and my intentions. Discovery and open-minded discussion are how we progress as species; now, I will contribute to those discussions. I’m excited to share my thoughts, ideas, and experiences while connecting with you in this collective consciousness called the internet.
Looking forward to the future,
Cara Christine
