Santavajri
My most memorable encounter on a doorstep...
There are too many to list! Each appeal has a good half-dozen or so memories associated with it of particularly funny or moving encounters – and those are just the ones that stick in my mind.
My epitaph...
I’ll let you know once I’ve got one!!
My role model…
as a fundraiser, is Manjusvara, who combines seriousness and good manners with the ability not to take things too much to heart, and to enjoy the magic and mystery of each encounter.
My working ground…
is endeavouring to stay open and relaxed in the face of what is, at times, a very busy and complex life.
When I was a child I wanted to be…
an author, a pop singer, a gypsy, a tramp… someone leading a creative, unconventional life!!
My biggest regret…
are the times I’ve been harsh, unkind, or even cruel to people in my life.
The quality I most admire in people…
is the skill and imagination to create works of art of any sort.
My patience is tried by…
any noise or light which disturbs my sleep.
A book that changed me…
is the Dhammapada. It was the first Buddhist text I came across, and I used to read it on the bus on the way to work. The words “Our lives are the creation of our mind” jumped off the page at me and hit me in the heart!
If I wasn’t me I’d like to be…
a hermit living in a remote Pennine hamlet.
My favourite piece of music…
at the moment is Handel’s Messiah – in fact, I’ve become somewhat obsessed with Handel’s music over the last couple of years!