Todd Donald Ford

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Todd Ford is a philosopher, an environmentalist, a traveler, a father, a wine-lover, an outdoorsman, a lover of good books and a dreamer. The executive director of the Hampshire Council of Governments, he’s hoping for a future where there’s less intolerance and more constructive civic discourse.

Full name: Todd Donald Ford

Date and place of birth: Dec. 13, 1971, Hartford, Conn.

Address: Florence

Job: Executive director, Hampshire Council of Governments

Who lives under the same roof as you? My 12-year-old mutt dog, Sydney

Children: Ainsley (5) and Eamon (3)

Education: Bachelor’s degree in philosophy and environmental studies from St. Lawrence University, Canton N.Y., and a master’s degree in urban and environmental policy and planning from Tufts University, Medford

Hobbies: Fly fishing, photography, hiking, anything outside

Book you’d recommend to a friend: Depends on the friend. Tim Winton’s “The Riders” or Pema Chodron’s “When Things Fall Apart”

Favorite movie/TV show/group: “The Professional” / “The Wire”/ King’s X

Five items you can’t live without: Spotify (for music), red wine, iPhone and Skype, hiking boots, camera

Last thing you purchased just for fun: A mid-century chair with orange cushions

What’s at the top of your bucket list? Travel: I want to ride a horse across Mongolia. I want to sip tea in Morocco. I want to hike the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia

Life-changing experience: The birth of my daughter and son. Not a minute goes by when I do not think of them. They have helped me reshape myself and I constantly strive to be a better man, father and human being

Strangest job you ever held: MassPIRG canvasser. Knocking on doors for politically charged topics has it risks and rewards

Current Facebook status: “Drinking a wine from the year the Marshal Plan was enacted. Amazing!”

A little-known fact about you: When I was 15 I was the drummer boy in the battle re-enactment in Lexington and Concord on Patriot’s Day

Dumbest thing you ever did: This could be a long list. When I got divorced in Australia my own psyche and the Australian system conspired so that I did not fight enough for what was mine and I will regret that decision for a long time. On a lighter note, I once went sledding down a hill that was the maximum angle of repose for sand (45 degrees) and subsequently broke my collar bone and thought I had paralyzed myself

One product, trend or fashion you’d like to see return: Reliable, noble and truthful news coverage? Constructive civic discourse? Top hats? Northeastern wolves?

What really sets you off? Trout that are not where they should be. Drivers who don’t stop for pedestrians in crosswalks. Yelling. Blame. Intolerance. Dish towels not folded properly

If you could spend the day with a celebrity from any time in history, who would it be and why? Lao-tzu (Author of “Tao Te Ching,” which is essentially a manual on how to govern; oneself, one’s child and society) about whom almost nothing is known

Best advice you ever got: Hope and fear rob us of the present. They are the two sides of the same coin. Notice when you feel pain or panic or uneasiness and when you grab for something. Notice it, and open your hand and your heart, and LET IT GO

Favorite place to get a bite: Outside. Eating on the ground, under the sky makes all food taste better

Favorite team: I’m taking a break from sports at the moment, but the Red Sox have traditionally been the favorite. The emotion of the journey to the championship, living in Boston at the time, was unlike anything I have ever experienced

What does your ideal weekend look like? Exploring the woods with my children, picking up insects, looking under rocks, bird watching, learning about the world, listening to the sounds of the wild, laughing, hugs, hand-holding

One thing you would change about yourself: I’m working on being more comfortable with the now

What gives you the creeps? I am “audiophobic.” I think I just made that up. I freak out over certain sounds like rocks grating on metal or balloons squeaking or modern country music

People who knew you in high school thought you were: Tall

Whom do you most admire? A friend of mine, Alex. He is rooted and grounded and has been a strong, able, compassionate and consistent guide for me while I went through a recent period of challenging transition. His patience and wisdom have been invaluable to me

Parting shot: “Half the failures of this world in life arise from pulling in one’s horse as he is leaping” — Julius and Augustus Hare. The danger does not lie within the leap itself; the danger lies within allowing our fear to pull us back in the middle of the leap. Trust in your authentic self, your true voice and make the changes, make the shifts and experience the true joy which is you

Editor’s note: To suggest someone for ID, send an email to Keri-Ann Aubin at kaubin@gazettenet.com.