Author Archives: Kathleen Guthrie Woods

Nudged: Try a new recipe

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Aaack! I was doing some admin this afternoon and discovered this post–originally scheduled to appear on April 13–never went live due to some technical glitch. I did indeed complete the Nudge in the one week, it’s just making it’s appearance now. Better late than never! 🙂

 

Backstory: Good timing!

I pulled this Nudge several months ago, when I didn’t have the time and wasn’t in the mood. But I love cooking and baking! I love experimenting in the kitchen! And my file of recipes (clipped from magazines and printed from online sources) is overflowing, so this is the perfect time to get back into an activity that feeds (pun fully intended) my soul.

Maybe this is the week you try a healthy version of one of your favorite dishes. Or challenge yourself with a meal from a different culture. Or, if cooking is not your thing, spread your wings and try a new technique in a hobby that makes you happy. The key words here are “try” and “new”.

What Happened: I had big plans for this week. BIG PLANS! I pulled two recipes for new-to-me entrees, two for spring veggies, and three for desserts. By Friday, I got a little more (ahem) realistic and decided to make one of the desserts, a “simple” raspberry tart, for a dinner party tonight.

Friday night I made the crust. We knew something was up when, in the middle of a relaxed dinner, all of the smoke alarms went off. We opened all the windows, I opened the oven, and, once the smoke cleared, I found this:

WTF?!?

A quick review of the recipe revealed I had used 3/4 of a cup of flour, not the called-for 1+3/4 cups. Disaster! “We can buy dessert on the way over,” my darling husband said. Well, phooey.

Two hours later I was back in the kitchen with laser focus and renewed determination. “I love when you get feisty,” my darling husband said.

This beauty came out of the oven:

Just now I added the fresh berries, and we will soon be on our way to share this with friends. Fingers crossed it tastes as delish as it looks.

Ah-Hahs: I am out of practice. I haven’t used these muscles in a while, and it shows. This week was a wake-up call for me, a reminder to use my gifts, to practice, and to enjoy my skills. To that end, I am going to make another tart—with a couple of twists—for a dinner party next weekend. Bon appetit!

Nudging: Learn a new song

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Backstory: One of the Nudges I’ve enjoyed again and again is listening to new music. After going through our own collection for this Nudge, I’ve since regularly requested CDs from the library, learning about jazz, opera, even some country music. Nina Simone was a revelation. How had I never heard about her before?

In addition to simply loving the music, part of me listens with the thought “Could I sing this?” I used to sing. A lot. In large and small ensembles, with the occasional solo. The last time I learned a new song was almost three years ago, when I rehearsed for weeks to perform “Think of Me” from Phantom of the Opera for my husband (it’s one of his favorites). It was so fun to seriously challenge myself, to reawaken those muscles, to use my gifts.

So I’m going to listen to a new few tunes this week and pick one to sing. It may all be for an audience of one (Louie the dog), or I may get a revelatory “Ah-Hah” out of it.

What did you used to love to do that you’d love to do again? Feel like giving it a new go this week?

Nudged: Take a long walk

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Backstory: This Nudge is about more than just amping up my exercise routine. It’s about getting OUT. It’s about resting my brain. It’s about taking deeper breaths and taking in breathtaking scenery. It’s about moving forward, physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually.

I’m not sure yet whether I’ll use this Nudge to meet up with a friend for a catching-up session, or go on a quiet, meditational walk by myself.

Maybe I’ll do both.

What Happened: I did get out early this morning for a long walk with a dear friend. We caught up for over an hour, with plenty of topics left over for our next walk, which I hope we’ll schedule soon.

But the long walk I want to share in detail from this Nudge was something I did on my own.

I’ve shared recently that I’ve been struggling. I’m having a hard time getting going in the mornings, in part because I am searching for my lost mojo. This week I decided to try to Just Do It by setting a timer and forcing (yes) myself to get out of bed and just get moving.

Wednesday night I set out gear for walking: sturdy shoes, cozy sweatshirt and scarf, water bottle, sunglasses, phone with earbugs. I pretty much rolled out of bed and straight into the clothes and was out the door just after 6:00. Wahoo! My “treat” for doing this was a chunk of time to listen to a great story, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn read by Kate Burton, on audiobook.

I headed up our hill, explored a couple of unfamiliar streets, took in the views, listened to the story. All would have been fabulous if this was it.

But there was more.

I turned a corner and came face-to-face, we’re talking maybe 10 feet apart, with this beautiful creature.

I stopped. It stopped. The best way I can think to describe the encounter was we regarded each other. For several seconds.

Under normal circumstances, this could have been an awful experience. We have a coyote problem in our neighborhood, along the lines of family cats gone missing, dogs snatched right in front of their humans, warnings sent to parents to keep their small children indoors. If Louie (our dog) had been with me, this likely would have been terrifying.

But it was calm. It was…respectful.

I reached into my pocket to get my phone, to take a photo, which the coyote took as a signal to move. Phooey! But then it stood just beside a house and continued to look at me. I took a couple of steps, and it slipped into the garden. Double phooey! I took a couple more steps to peek into the garden and snapped the shot you see above.

The Ah-Hahs: A friend called shortly thereafter and I told her what had happened. “It’s a sign!” she said. “You’re going to have a year of adventures!” Okay then.

Back at home, I continued to think about it, and on a whim I googled “spiritual meaning of a coyote sighting”.

Well!

A coyote is a messenger, I learned, an “important messenger.” A coyote sighting is a reminder to “take a look within, to not take life too seriously, to lighten up, and to learn to laugh at ourselves and even our mistakes”. The coyote comes to encourage us to not just focus on a single problem/burden/concern, but to take in the whole of life.

“Do you feel stuck in a rut?” one site asked me. Uh, yep. Then the coyote came to tell me to stop taking things too seriously, to acknowledge the lighter side of things, and to enjoy life.

All this came to me because I nudged myself to take a long walk.

Wow.

Nudging: Take a long walk

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Backstory: This Nudge is about more than just amping up my exercise routine. It’s about getting OUT. It’s about resting my brain. It’s about taking deeper breaths and taking in breathtaking scenery. It’s about moving forward, physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually.

I’m not sure yet whether I’ll use this Nudge to meet up with a friend for a catching-up session, or go on a quiet, meditational walk by myself.

Maybe I’ll do both.

Nudged: Do my “do” (hair) 4x

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Backstory: Back in the day (high school), I would allow as much as two hours to wash, blow dry, set in hot rollers, and style my hair.

Sure, right.

That doesn’t happen very often these days, and “forcing” myself to do this will definitely be outside my comfort zone. However. Through some previous Nudges, I’ve realized that when I pull myself together, I feel better, and I carry myself better. I even included this practice as one of the things that might help me get my mojo back.

Let’s “do” this. 😉

What Happened:

Monday: Never so much as brushed my hair.

Tuesday: Threw myself together with kind of a fun and slightly messy bun. I’m no Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, but it worked.

Wednesday: I don’t have time for this sh*t! Geez! I work, I support friends and family, I keep the house standing. And somehow I’m supposed to make time to be runway ready?! I got myself to the gym and showered in the morning, then went straight to work. I had to run a couple of errands, and went out without makeup and hair that looked like it had been styled by Thor (the god who controls lightning, not my husband). I was That Woman in line at the market praying Please don’t let me run into anybody I know. Please. I’m begging. Happy to report my prayers were answered on this one. But geez. I felt like a hot mess, and I wanted to be invisible. That evening my husband had a work event, so at 4:45 I plugged in the trusty flat iron and rallied.

Thursday: Got a free pass today as Second Day Hair looked good with no special effort required. (I love my flat iron). Felt slightly better about myself when I went to the market. That afternoon, I caught up with a friend, another writer who also works from a home office. She mentioned she’s been feeling out of sorts lately, uninspired, unmotivated. So she took a cue from FlyLady (I love FlyLady) and tried dressing for work. Today, for example, instead of staying in yoga clothes all day, she put on nice slacks and an office-worthy cardigan instead of the ratty old thing we pull on when we think “Only the dog is going to see me today.” She brushed her hair, swiped on some mascara and lip gloss, and slipped into actual shoes…and had her most productive day in ages.

Friday: Got up early and gave myself a decent blowout, which made me sweaty. What a pain! Dressed for a business meeting off site—sweater, straight skirt, tights and boots—I checked myself out in the rearview mirror and thought, “Lookin’ good, Kath.” The meeting went well, and I had a productive afternoon. Toward the end of the day, I noticed I wasn’t slumping. I was sitting up straighter than usual for late on a Friday.

A Good(ish) Hair Day

 

Ah-Hah: I must confess, I’ve been in a deep, dark funk lately. There was one day last week when the only thing that got me out of bed was I needed to feed the dog. I’m not sure what this is. Maybe it’s the change in seasons. Maybe it’s the overabundance of rain (dammit) we’ve had this year. (I’m a Southern California, “69 degrees is cold”, I need my sunshine kinda gal). Maybe…I don’t know.

But I’m not throwing in the towel, and I’m returning again and again to my Mojo prompts to get through this. This doing my ’do Nudge is part of my efforts, and it was inspired in part by Elizabeth Gilbert.

In her book about living a creative life, Big Magic, she talks about how you should dress for work the way you would dress if you were going to meet your lover. Think about it. If you were dashing out, all excited and breathless, for a romantic rendezvous, you wouldn’t schlep about in yoga pants and a faded, stretched-out T-shirt. You’d dress in your very best, from the lacy underwear to your fanciest perfume. So, how are you meeting your work? Maybe it’s time to show it some respect, to demonstrate that it is your greatest passion.

I’m going to keep at this. I’m going to continue to do what I can to present myself to the world—or just to the dog—in a way that makes me feel my best. I’m going to do this for my work. Better yet, let’s do this for ourselves!

 

Nudging: Do my “do” (hair) 4x

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Backstory: Back in the day (high school), I would allow as much as two hours to wash, blow dry, set in hot rollers, and style my hair.

Sure, right.

That doesn’t happen very often these days, and “forcing” myself to do this will definitely be outside my comfort zone. However. Through some previous Nudges, I’ve realized that when I pull myself together, I feel better, and I carry myself better. I even included this practice as one of the things that might help me get my mojo back.

Let’s “do” this. 😉

Nudged: Learn the name of someone new

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Backstory: There’s that old story about a test in a medical school in which a large portion of the grade is based on correctly answering one question: “What is the name of the woman who cleans up after us?”

The idea for this week’s Nudge came from that. I used to know the name of our postal carrier, the man who owned the drycleaning business down the street, the young woman who made my mochas at Peet’s, and the sweet man who greeted us so warmly at our favorite restaurant. But I’ve gotten out of practice. And there’s no excuse.

So this week I’m going to look for opportunities to step outside of my complacency zone and to talk with someone new.

What Happened: His name is Kong.

I’ve seen him regularly at the gym. He’s an elderly gentleman, not one of the iron-pumping guys who over-lifts to impress the girls, but nonetheless one of my fellow “gym rats” who likes to get in a workout  before the sun comes up. We’ve nodded to each other, said “Good morning,” but that’s about it…for years.

Two weeks ago that changed.

I’ve been out of my normal routine, haven’t been able to exercise as much as usual, and I definitely wasn’t hitting the elliptical machine at oh-six-hundred. But after I checked in that first official day back in the gym, he greeted me with “I’ve missed you! Is everything okay?”

I could have cried. It was so kind and thoughtful, and it touched my heart. I explained I’d been out for a medical reason, but was doing fine, was recovering, and was slowly making my way back to exercising again. “It’s good to see you again,” he said. “Thank you,” I managed, barely holding back tears. “You too.”

This morning was Day 2 of getting back in the groove, and there he was. “You look good! How are you feeling?” I thanked him, told him I was doing better, and that I was happy to see him. I wished him a good workout, then headed toward my first machine.

Then I stopped myself. Remembering this week’s Nudge, I turned around and went after him. “I’d like to know your name, please.”

“It’s Kong.”

I wasn’t sure I’d understood him at first, so asked him to spell it: K-O-N-G. “Kong,” I repeated. “And I’m Kathy. I’m so pleased to know you.”

The Ah-Hahs: I’m still glowing from this friendly exchange. I’m already looking forward to being back at the gym later this week. Look at that — bonus! And though I’ve already completed this Nudge, I’m looking forward to meeting more of my neighbors — and, I hope, soon-to-be-friends — this week.

 

Nudging: Learn the name of someone new

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Backstory: There’s that old story about a test in a medical school in which a large portion of the grade is based on correctly answering one question: “What is the name of the woman who cleans up after us?”

The idea for this week’s Nudge came from that. I used to know the name of our postal carrier, the man who owned the drycleaning business down the street, the young woman who made my mochas at Peet’s, and the sweet man who greeted us so warmly at our favorite restaurant. But I’ve gotten out of practice. And there’s no excuse.

So this week I’m going to look for opportunities to step outside of my complacency zone and to talk with someone new.

 

P.S. To my readers who observe the holidays this week, Happy Passover / Happy Easter!

Nudged: Learn how to do card-shuffle-fan thing

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Backstory: I have always wanted to learn how to do that fabulous trick where it appears you are tossing a desk of cards from one hand to the other in a long stream.

My first stop will be Google, where I hope to determine what it is actually called. (Pretty sure it is not called “card-shuffle-fan thing”. Sheesh.)

Then I am going to peruse tutorial videos on YouTube.

My ultimate goal is to be able to intimidate…eh…impress my friends with whom my husband and I play the card game Hearts every few months. I lost, by quite the margin, at our last session, so I am looking for every advantage.

Our next tournament…eh…friendly game is scheduled for late summer, so I have plenty of time to practice. This week is about doing the research, taking the first steps, and having fun pursuing something that has been on my personal to do list for ages.

What are you going to nudge yourself to try this week?

What Happened: Get ready to be impressed! 😉

First up, I googled for information and learned the trick I wanted to learn is called a “waterfall.” Cool!

Next, I searched for training videos and found this one.

Deck of cards, training video, ounce of courage…I was good to go.

Here is a typical representation of my Day 1 attempts:

Hmmm…I think there’s another name for that “trick”. 52 Pickup, anyone?

On Day 2, I determined my hands were too small to be successful, so I was pleased to discover we had a smaller-sized deck in the games cabinet.

Um…it didn’t completely solve the problems. But every day, for five to 10 minutes, I stood at my desk (figured out that was a good way to catch the falling cards) and practiced.

Slow and steady. Deep breath. Patience, determination, and optimism. Repeat.

Here is the video Thor took of me tonight: card waterfall video

If for some reason you can’t watch it, well, let’s just say The Magic Castle won’t be calling any time soon. But it’s better than where I was just a few days ago!

The Ah-Hahs: Earlier in the week I caught up with a friend who is also revisiting her childhood passions. What did she love doing? What would keep her occupied for hours? And how might she incorporate some of that former joy into her life today?

This Nudge was that for me. I didn’t have any grand revelations about life, I just had some fun. I took a few minutes out of my insanely busy workdays and fed my inner child.

Oh, and I’m not giving up. I still have time to perfect this trick before our next game of Hearts.

P.S. This is interesting. I just inserted the tags for this post and was reminded of my earlier post about wanting to find my Mojo, to find or reclaim my magic. This was not at all what I had in mind for myself at the time, but cool!

Nudging: Learn how to do card-shuffle-fan thing

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Backstory: I have always wanted to learn how to do that fabulous trick where it appears you are tossing a desk of cards from one hand to the other in a long stream.

My first stop will be Google, where I hope to determine what it is actually called. (Pretty sure it is not called “card-shuffle-fan thing”. Sheesh.)

Then I am going to peruse tutorial videos on YouTube.

My ultimate goal is to be able to intimidate…eh…impress my friends with whom my husband and I play the card game Hearts every few months. I lost, by quite the margin, at our last session, so I am looking for every advantage.

Our next tournament…eh…friendly game is scheduled for late summer, so I have plenty of time to practice. This week is about doing the research, taking the first steps, and having fun pursuing something that has been on my personal to do list for ages.

What are you going to nudge yourself to try this week?