AMELIA JEFFERS
10 Things I Can't Live Without
For several years, this column has featured notable leaders and influencers in our community. In celebration of the 5th Anniversary of Sophisticated Living Columbus, my team urged me to step out of my more comfortable role behind the story, suggesting to me that SL readers might be interested in the Editor in Chief’s 10 Things I Cannot Live Without. Though it’s tough for me to step into the focus (much easier to write about other people!), I am all about stretching the muscle of vulnerability. My instructions to others who agree to be featured here is to avoid the “Miss America” answers - the things we all would assume, like family, pets, chocolate and world peace. Rest assured that no list would ever be complete without my four beautiful kids, two ornery poodles and the incredible (and small) circle of friends with whom I am privileged to do life. Those assumptions aside, here it goes:
1. Faith in my higher power. How anyone gets through this crazy thing called life without faith in a higher power eludes me. Prayer and meditation are a necessary part of my daily routine, and I seek a God based in love to guide me.
2. Beautiful objects. An appreciation for art was instilled in me at a young age, when a teacher exposed me to the works of Paul Gauguin. That I can earn a living as an auctioneer and appraiser by evaluating interesting and lovely things seems too good to be true.
3. Ice cream and coffee – it’s a tie. (Current ice cream is Ben & Jerry’s The Tonight Dough, coffee is Flowers & Bread in Clintonville for flavor and strength, The Roosevelt for making connections.)
4. Generosity. I have lived my whole life in the debt of generous people. As a kid, gifts of food, clothing, time and encouragement helped me to have hope in hopeless circumstances. As an entrepreneur, I am grateful for the generosity of bankers, clients, employees and vendors who have taken (and continue to take) a chance on me.
5. Adventure. It feels built into my DNA and a piece of me that I almost lost while making my way as a wife and mother. Rediscovering the life-giving benefits of venturing into an unknown experience by myself has motivated and inspired me.
6. Books. I can read my way through anything – family vacation, a crisis, or any day that ends in “y.” I always have 2-3 going at once. Currently: “Cultivate: Fly High, Build Home”; “The Next Right Thing”; and “The Billionaire’s Vinegar”.
7. Pandora.com. My kids are Spotify junkies, but I go old-school Pandora. I love that it started as a music genome project. My stations range from Bethel Music to Kesha and Pink Floyd to Norah Jones (fan fave for a writing mood).
8. A good thrift shop. I once shopped in second-hand stores because it was my only option, but I now do it for the thrill of the hunt. Among my best finds is a pair of new tonal blue suede Tod’s tennis shoes (retail for $600) that I recently found for $25!
9. The company of curious people, and by curious I mean inquisitive as well as oddball. If you march to the beat of your own drum or find fun in researching the origin of anything, you are my kind of person.
10. Grass in my toes. Imagine my glee when I learned that a decidedly Appalachian penchant for going barefoot has actually been identified as a bonafide therapeutic practice called “grounding” or “earthing.” Truly. Look it up.
