Teatime: Meet Shelly Sutherland

This week’s Kindred Teatime interview is with Shelly Sutherland – voracious reader, former beach volleyball competitor (seriously, she played for Cal) and most-valued colleague at Kindred. Visit ShellySutherland.com to learn more about her work as a Realtor.

Name a book you loved as a kid. Is there a line or character you remember?

I loved all the Nancy Drew books, because Nancy was a sleuth and she was up for adventure and she loved solving puzzles. I was one of those kids who had her nose in a book all the time. My sister and I would just lie around reading, all weekend long. Don’t get me wrong: We enjoyed our Saturday morning cartoons, but we loved just sinking into our fantasy worlds.

What did you last read? Thumbs up or down?

Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami. If you’re really into contemporary literature – fiction – they say you must read that book. I loved Lincoln in the Bardo (George Saunders) and that was total fantasy, so I’m not completely against surrealism and fantasy writing but – Kafka on the Shore – let’s just say I didn’t hate it and I didn’t love it.

In your next life you can be a lion, a tiger or a bear. Which do you choose and why?

I think I’d be a Tiger. You know how the Lion is the king of the jungle? The Tiger doesn’t have that huge responsibility, but still has the same physical prowess. Now, I do like the idea of hibernating for a whole season, because I have a bit of that lazy factor. But if I could be a Tiger running across the African tundra (in my fantasy, tigers would be found in Africa) sign me up! I like the stripes.

What is something you learned from a parent that turned out to be wise?

I’ll never forget after college, when I was traveling around and having a damn good time, I had an opportunity to keep traveling and go to South America with some friends. I was in London at the time, and I called my dad for his advice. He said, “Do whatever you want to do. It’s your life!” It was all my decision, and I love that he didn’t get involved. He put it on me, and I treasure that. I take full responsibility for everything I do, and I don’t push it off on anybody else.

There’s a new interior paint color based on you and your life. What’s its name and why?

This is like when you get a mani-pedi and you have to choose from all those colors. A tough decision! Let’s go with a sort of green blue; let’s call it Topsy Turvy.  You can dive right through the waves, or have those nice floaty times. The ocean changes colors depending on whether you’re at the surface or going deeper. Those gradations represent what’s going on at any one time during our lives.

What in the world gives you hope?

The poet who spoke at the Biden inauguration – Amanda Gorman. Her and others like her. Energetic, young, positive changemakers. Young people who are pushing it hard, like the Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg.

It’s teatime. What’s your order?

High tea is one of my most favorite things ever. Devonshire cream, excellent scones, delicious jams. And those watercress sandwiches to die for. Those neat little square sandwiches. My grandmother used to make them, and I haven’t had them for like 40 or 50 years.