Are you happy at the moment?

I am happy in my own way. I am content with life and excited about the future, but I still have a ways to go before I hit “happiness” by societies standards.

If you could go back and say anything to your 16-year-old self now – what would it be?

You don’t have to be better than everyone to prove your family wrong, it is okay to make mistakes and own up to them. Don’t give up on yourself just because other people do. Most importantly, ask for help.

What’s the most important thing you’ve learned this year?

That I have the ability of being more than the sum of my past decisions. That I can move past the limits I created myself and be something completely different and new. By moving beyond those limitations, I was able to help my friend achieve her dreams of becoming a published author, with My New Mommy,  while also becoming published myself in a local magazine. My friend wrote a children’s level book explaining what changes when a father figure goes through the emotional and physical changes of gender reassignment surgery. As an LGBT advocate, and friend of the author, I am proud to promote this book as a tool to help children understand this otherwise confusing situation.

What do you most want to achieve in the next 12 months?

Financial stability. I don’t think I could get anymore clear than that. This past year left us struggling. Between dying cars, high electric bills and doctor’s bills, we are back to living paycheck to paycheck.

What’s your secret to happiness?

Never regret your life’s journey. If you always second guess the choices you make, you can never see the joy in front of you. A life of “what if’s” is a life wasted.

What one ritual or practice keeps you grounded?

Honestly, a long hot shower with aromatherapy oils to be very grounding. It gives me time to think and I imagine my worries washing away and draining with the water. I also find walking out into the rain barefoot a very grounding experience.

What’s your biggest regret?

Thinking that I needed to regret things. I’ve come to realize that you can’t sit and regret the choices you made. Good or bad, they are the reason you are where you are today.

What’s the most important lesson you’ve taught your kid(s)?

So far? That mommy will always answer when he cries, and that paper is not edible.

What bad habit would you most like to change about yourself?

Being condescending when trying to be helpful.

Aside from motherhood/fatherhood and marriage what are you most proud of in your life?

Going back to school at 25 and getting an Associates degree in 5 semesters with a GPA of 3.895, despite homelessness, illness, disability and, lastly, pregnancy.

When were you happiest?

When my husband handed me our son, and stood by me as I nursed our child for the very first time.

What ten words best describe you?

Paradoxical, Nice, Loving, Pagan, Intelligent, Logical, Emotional,Geeky, Loquacious, Mother

Natalie Pabon, is born and raised New Yorker and the writer of the blog “Adventures of a Pagan Parent”. She is an aspiring social work student and an advocate for equal rights across the board. She is also a breastfeeding advocate, who wishes to become an IBCLC after finishing her social work schooling. She also plans on homeschooling her children, and works from home, doing website design and management for local brands, groups and companies in her current state of North Carolina. Check her out on Facebook Follow her on Twitter @PaganParent.