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The moments Ahna Hendrix shares on Intersect have a particular fullness of spirit, whether they’re about her curves, her sky or the neighborhood fire crews she came to befriend. The 29-year-old North Carolina student and founder of a translation nonprofit took time this week to reflect on her stories.

Ahna Hendrix

Tell us about what you’re posting on Intersect

My stories are pretty random, because I share whatever is on my mind. They may be a memory, a picture, a question or particular thought pattern – it just depends. But I’m a romantic, so love is a typically theme – whether it’s with nature, people in my life or appreciations for life.

Life is a great adventure for me, and Intersect is amazing because it’s a place where I can share those adventures. Intersect has quite the cool community of warm folks who just enjoy sharing – it isn’t about being a perfect anything, it’s about doing something we all do naturally – tell stories. And that’s why it’s so awesome – it’s so simple!

What’s your favorite story (fiction or non) of all time?

I don’t do favorites, but mostly because my favorite stories change constantly. But a few are, “Are You There God, it’s Me Margaret” by Judy Blume, “100 Years of Solitude” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, “The Little Prince” by Antoine De Saint-Exupery, “Walking On Water” by Madeleine L’Engle, “100 Love Sonnets” by Pablo Neruda, and on and on.

Who’s the most interesting person you’ve ever met?

I lived in Meeteetse, Wyoming for about 6 months during one of my traveling escapades. The population was 354, and it had one gas station and about 6 bars. Locals didn’t wonder around outside too much at night because of the grizzlies. And regardless of the time, when you left the safety of your home you were no longer at the top of the food chain.

I got a job at the gas station, and during my first week I met George. George was an old cowboy, you know, the real kind. He was 82 and wore a crispy leather brown cowboy hat, worn blue jeans, brownish cowboy boots, and a white t-shirt everyday. He would come in and buy an ice cream sandwich, lean back against the ice cream cooler and tell me story after story.

It wasn’t long before a few of the locals started gossiping about George after seeing him visit me so much. George had had a seizure in one of the bars downtown years before, and apparently it was so bad that everyone was scared of him. And for some reason this information was passed along as if I should be scared of him – like he was some sort of freak. It irritated me greatly.

Ahna's shared moments happened mostly in North Carolina. Click the image to see her time/place story map (a new Intersect feature)

George was a wonderful old man who just loved to talk and remember with anyone who would take the time to listen. He would bring me random tokens from his house: an old book or picture. But his stories were the best part. He had lived his entire life in Meeteetse and hadn’t ever left the state of Wyoming. He never cared to either. He loved his horses, and told me about the days when he never had to worry about other people. To me, living in a town with 354 people was like that, but he was used to going for weeks without seeing anyone but family when he was a kid.

Before I left Meeteetse I went out to dinner with George at the local diner. Everyone in the little place gawked and stared and he got angry with the waitress because she didn’t understand him, but we had a good time.

He wrote me once after I moved, about 4 months later, and I recently heard that he had passed away. He was a good man.

I’ve never met anyone like him.

What’s your favorite place you’ve ever been?

Even though I have traveled quite a bit outside of the country, there is still something mystical about Logan, Utah.

I was living in Jackson, Wyoming at the time and had decided to move to Santa Barbara, California. A recent roommate of mine had told me there were lots of jobs, and it was a fun place to live. The only problem was that I was broke – dead broke. But another friend of mine introduced me to two girls who needed to get to the LAX, and would pay for gas if I drove.

I had $34.00 to my name. The morning we left Jackson a snowstorm was coming in, and 6 six inches had already landed by the time I picked up the girls. But we had to leave because of their flight. As I frantically searched
the road map (yessss we used them in those days!) I found another way we could go, and possibly bypass the majority of the storm.

I don’t know how, but we got very lost. There weren’t homes or businesses or anything but trees and roads and more snow. I had to stop every 30 minutes or so and beat off all the snow and ice that built up underneath my Honda Civic (that I still drive:). It was scary and maddening because I had no clue where we were going, and if we would make it.

About three hours later we began seeing other vehicles, and then some homes and then some businesses. And as we came around this huge rocky curve we were given the most incredible sight I have ever seen – even
to this day.

Massive mountains stood right in front of us, snow-covered, jagged and yet so close they seemed possible to reach out and touch. The town was small, but perfectly petite with these huge mountains standing guard around them.

After I stopped at the local gas station and bought a Utah map I realized we had just driven through a national park, driven by the famous blue lake and then arrived in wonderland.

I will never forget Logan.

If you could relive one day in your life, what day would it be?

This is going to be pretty deep – lol.

I don’t remember many happy times growing up between my parents. I pretty much knew they despised each other, and when they got divorced it wasn’t a surprise. I was eleven.

September of 2009 I woke up with a stomachache, and before long I was in so much pain I couldn’t move. In between classes my boyfriend checked on me and fed me pain relievers. From the information online we were
pretty sure a cyst had burst in my stomach. It’s pretty typical for women, but usually the body absorbs it. Mine did not.

That afternoon I went into shock, but was able to send a text as it began. When the ambulance arrived I had one of those surreal TV/movie moments where I couldn’t see anything but I could hear them working around me, trying to take my nail polish off, feeling my wrist and saying, ”I can’t get a pulse.”

At the hospital, the doctor came in and said, “Miss Hendrix we must operate or you will die.” I went into emergency surgery, and had already lost 4 liters of blood. When I woke up I had the most real sense of life and living I have ever had, and I knew I wouldn’t ever be the same.

But the day I would relive was the next day. My brother, mother and father came to see me. This was really only the second or third time my parents had been in the same room together, much less talking and getting along since their divorce.

That night my father and boyfriend brought food for my mom and me. We sat around in my hospital room and my father began telling stories. Before long we were all laughing so hard I was holding on to the side of my bed to keep from falling out. And this was after serious stomach surgery!

But even though I was in a lot of pain, barely able to sit up – that moment of pure laughter with both of my parents laughing and getting along was the best. Ever.

If you could go back and give your 10-year-old self advice, what would it be?

Wow. I would say, “Ahna, it’s okay to be a nerd, and it’s okay to be focused. Also, love yourself no matter what.” But mostly I would tell myself that I was right – being an adult is a lot more fun!

Dogs or cats?

In theory, cats, because they don’t require as much love and attention, but in reality, dogs, because they can’t live without love and attention. Ha ha.

Print books or digital?

Definitely print books. I haven’t moved into the digital book world yet. Although I’m not opposed I can’t imagine not being able to snuggle up with a book, breaking the binding, writing in the free space, and making it worn in and used. There will always be something magical about a brand new book…digital could be handy, but it’s not a
necessity in my life.

Pen or pencil?

Usually a pen, but I am using more pencils because I have so many design classes and draw a lot. There’s something about having that one favorite pen for a while, and there’s something about a finely sharpened pencil with a perfect point…the muse in your hands.

Coffee or tea?

I used to drink coffee religiously, but I quit about two months ago. My body is changing and the effects of coffee were becoming too weird. It hasn’t been easy getting used to tea, but my body is definitely happier about it. I sleep better, my skin cleared, and I feel healthier for some reason. But I spend all my money on tea now…can’t get enough of it!

Ski vacation or beach vacation?

Oh wow. It would be hard to decide. At the moment I would say beach, only because I have seen enough snow this year for a while!

Give a shout out: Who’s another Intersecter whose posts you enjoy? Why?

Monica!!! And I don’t say that just to be nice! (I am going to talk about you in third person now…ha)

I enjoy her stories because they are similar to mine. She writes about serious and humorous moments in her life. It’s nice to be able to get a feel for someone’s personality through their writing, and she emits a fun and down to earth spirit. She’s a writer I can relate to, and definitely a storyteller I can admire.

~ *Blush* Thanks, Ahna. ~

Keep up with Ahna on her Intersect storyline, her Twitter @thefeist and on her website, ahnahendrix.com. You can also reach her by email here.

Share a game-related moment to see your headline stream on KING5.com.

The Seattle Seahawks are taking on the Chicago Bears Sunday, and KING/5 wants to hear your take on the playoff action right here on Intersect.

Excitement is building in both the Emerald and Windy Cities, and the Seattle news station is already adding your game-related moments to its KING 5 Intersect storyline — and streaming your headlines right on KING5.com.

Want to join the huddle? Just sign up, post a photo or moment from before, during or after the game and — when appropriate — map it to a time and place so it can intersect with the stories around it.

Are you taking bets at Seattle’s F.X. McRory’s? Watching live at Chicago’s Soldier Field? Celebrating — or mourning — with friends in your neighborhood?

However you experience the game, KING/5 wants to help make it part of the larger story.

And if you have an iPhone, you can share on the go with the free Intersect iPhone app.

The showdown begins at 1 p.m. EST, 10 a.m. PST on FOX.

The stories Scott Galiher posts on Intersect are less about him than about the people he encounters, whether it’s Indigo, Ladybird or Roland the Cockeyed Butcher. Intimate, visual and beautifully crafted, they read like portraits and feel like windows into a world. The humble observer took some time to share a little bit of what makes him tick.

Scott Galiher

Tell us about the stories you’re posting on Intersect

My stories are tributes to unique people whose words of wisdom and quiet heroics often, very inadvertently, elevate the lives of others. I’m consistently inspired by their messages, so many of which are beautifully simple, unmistakably heartfelt and sometimes, even a little divine.

Ultimately, my stories are about characters whose fears, questions, and judgments—as well as those whose longings for peace, justice, love and honesty—have raised my consciousness, reminding me that we’re all, simultaneously, students and teachers.

How do you define a great story?

A great story takes you there.

What’s your favorite story (fiction or non) of all time?

Flannery O’Connor’s Greenleaf.

Who is your favorite character (fiction or non) of all time?

Ofelia from Pan’s Labyrinth.

Who’s the most interesting person you’ve ever met?

It’s impossible to name just one. I tend to admire humanitarians an artists.

What’s your favorite place you’ve ever been?

The California desert.

If you could relive one day in your life, what day would it be?

I was compelled to say I’d relive my birth, but the more I think about it, I wonder if it might not be more interesting to relive an unpleasant experience in hopes of affording it the insight gleaned from my adult years.

If you could go back and give your 10-year-old self advice, what would it be?

You are guided, loved and protected by forces you can’t always see. With this in mind, be unencumbered, proud and fearless.

Dogs or cats? Both.
Print books or digital? Print. Call me old-fashioned, but print feels more authentic, smacking of good, old-fashioned blood, sweat and tears.
Pen or pencil? The former. Staying sharp is no small task.
Coffee or tea? The latter.
Ski vacation or beach vacation? Beach.

Keep up with Scott on his Intersect storyline.

Jan. 1: The pic that sparked a new idea for a new year (by Kristin Millis).

When Kristin Millis kicked off a new year of shared moments with a photo of her dog at Edmonds Beach and a promise to post a new photo every day, she inspired a mini-trend on Intersect.

Marie Montemayor, Lauren Bricker, Nadja Haldimann, Tess Rinearson and Ahna Hendrix have all kept up daily photo projects on their storylines, sharing everything from a favorite icon to a bold new hair color.

“Here’s to new adventure, and fabulous photography!” wrote Ahna.

Hear, hear.

Update: Kristi Waite has joined in with her own daily photo project, which includes this gorgeous mountain view.