The Proust Questionnaire is a bunch of questions that author Marcel Proust answered many times over his life that he found in a book called “An Album to Record Thoughts, Feelings, etc.”.  The questionnaire became a popular parlour game for families and friends to play to help better understand each other.  A version of the questionnaire can be found every month in the back of Vanity Fair being answered by various celebs.  It’s a great way to document where you’re at in your life so I thought it would be a cool thing to start doing every year around this time.

Here are my 2009 answers to The Proust Questionnaire.

1. What is your idea of perfect happiness?

I don’t think I would ever want to be perfectly happy…  How can you really know what happiness is if you’re always experiencing it?

2. What is your greatest fear?

Death of any of my family or friends.
3. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

Worry.
4. What is the trait you most deplore in others?

Self righteousness
5. Which living person do you most admire?

My parents and anyone living their dreams.
6. What is your greatest extravagance?

Shoes, Chanel bags and travel.
7. What is your current state of mind?

Open, willing and ready to grow.
8. What do you consider the most overrated virtue?

Celibacy
9. On what occasion do you lie?

When I’m forced to say yes.  I have an awful inability to say no.
10. What do you most dislike about your appearance?

Cellulite. Dark circles under my eyes.
11. Which living person do you most despise?

Hate takes far to much energy.
12. What is the quality you most like in a man?

Strength, intelligence  and drive.
13. What is the quality you most like in a woman?

same as above. oh and sprinkle a little effortless beauty in there.
14. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

seriously.  don’t even.  fully.  it’s totally fine. right!?!?
15. What or who is the greatest love of your life?

love
16. When and where were you happiest?

in California driving along the coast. at my parents for Sunday dinner.  singing at the top of my lungs with my friends on some couch somewhere…

17. Which talent would you most like to have?

To sing (like belt it) or to heal.
18. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I wouldn’t be so shy.
19. What do you consider your greatest achievement?

I’m not sure that I’ve achieved it  yet
20. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?

I’d come back as me and try it all again
21. Where would you most like to live?

Here, there and everywhere.  Toronto will always be my home base but I want homes everywhere!
22. What is your most treasured possession?

Can you possess your family and friends or is that stalker-ish?

Can I answer a question with a question?  lol
23. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

Being a selfish, mean, person who does nothing but try to bring others down.  I can only imagine that that type of life would be totally miserable…
24. What is your favorite occupation?

Doing what you love.
25. What is your most marked characteristic?

ummm, u tell me!
26. What do you most value in your friends?

Their individuality.  They are magical because they are all so absolutely different  but we still manage to get along!.
27. Who are your favorite writers?

Too many to mention but as of right this minute, Zoe Heller as I just finished another one of her amazing books!

28. Who is your hero of fiction?

Penny Lane, She-ra, Jem, Holly Golightly
29. Which historical figure do you most identify with?

I don’t really..
30. Who are your heroes in real life?

My parents, Nelson Mandela, Oprah
31. What are your favorite names?

Hudson, Harper, Ava, Vanilla, Sophia, Frank, Jackson
32. What is it that you most dislike?

Mean spirited people
33. What is your greatest regret?

I would like to say a certain experience here, but I have already learnt so much from it that I will have to go with the much cliched, no regrets.
34. How would you like to die?

Old, loved, experienced and content.
35. What is your motto?

if this is our one shot, live it!  life is far too short to waste it on the negative.  find the positive, learn the lesson and move on.

Love love!

That was fun!  I would love you guys to do it too!  Copy and paste the questions, erase my answers and type in yours or just try it on your own in your journal.  Look back on it in a year and see if you’d answer any of the questions differently.

xoxo,

coco