Profound Meditation Through Password Hints

typography break while applying. lyrics from Weight of Living II by Bastille

Self-reflection. It's something we as a people tend to save for later. Saved for the gaps in the rat race that is school and career. Saved for the comma in the sentence, the opportunity to breathe, granted once every few years. Saved for the pauses while we wait anxiously for life to press play again.

As Cory mentioned, half-birthdays are a good point to reflect on the road you're on, as you keep on running, but what about those unintended stabs of self reflection we've all seen dozens of times? Those questions that probe on our common experiences as humans, but also make you think about your life journey and how you got to here. That's right, the friendly little password reminder!

Since I am on the job hunt, I have been making account after account on different employer websites, and I am usually in such a hurry to just get on and submit the cover letter I spent the last hour perfecting, that I have mastered my username and password-making skills. But then, this screen will often stop me dead in my tracks. "What was the street you lived on when you were 5?" "Who was your favorite childhood friend?" "What was the name of your favorite teacher?"

 These simple, inocuous questions make me think, sometimes really introspectively, about how luck, hard work, people, and opportunities have made me who I am today. They also make me thankful for every path I have been lead down because though they may not have seemed worthwhile at the time, they have all taught me valuable lessons and helped me in unforeseen ways.

When I read, "In which city was your first job?" my brain whirrs, running this inner-monologue.  Does that mean the first-ever time I filled out a W-2? That would be blogging for The84, an anti-smoking campaign for teenagers back when I was in high school, getting paid $18 a post. The 84 was based in Boston, but my title was MetroWest Blogger, so do I say my hometown? But then again, I hosted events for the organization in Worcester, so maybe there? Should I just go with a job from USC?

And the freeing aspect of these answers being for my eyes only makes the whole inadvertent reflection even more worthwhile even if I end up selecting a more no-frills straight-fact question/answer combo like "Where were you born?"

My favorite of these password reminders are those that ask about your  "favorites". My preferences change a lot, and they change over time. So asking me who my "favorite childhood friend" confounds me because sometimes it is who I am still in contact with today, sometimes I am nostalgic and think back to people I miss and how life took us in different directions. As wishy-washy as it sounds, I really do NOT have one favorite!

So the next time you face that password reminder question, think of the multitude in your answers. Think of the roads not taken, and how lucky you were to travel the road leading you to this moment.

Take that rare breath to just take inventory and appreciate the serendipity of life.

peace, love, sunshine. x
maithreyi :)