Tag Archives: 52Nudges

Nudging: Enjoy a fire in the fireplace

2 Replies

Backstory: Before those of you who are living through a normal sweltering summer protest this week’s nudge, let me remind you that where I live, it’s cold. Dark. Damp. Depressing. This nudge comes at the perfect time for me.

At a deeper level, this nudge is about mixing up routines. Instead of “relaxing” in front of the TV night after night, at least one time this week I hope to turn off all electrical devices and enjoy the warmth and beauty of a real-live fire. Maybe I’ll read a book. Maybe I’ll mix up a couple of cocktails and Thor and I will play Gin Rummy. Or maybe I’ll just sit quietly and delight my senses with the crackles and colors of the flames.

If an indoor fire sounds like a special level of Hell right now, you might enjoy an outdoor fire pit. Or find a shady spot to enjoy the sounds of running water. Maybe this is the week you stay up late one night and go outside to watch the fireflies or gaze at the stars. I hope you’ll find something to do that delights your senses.

 

Nudging: (Re)memorize 50 state capitals

Leave a reply

Backstory: Am I smarter than a 5th grader? We’ll find out!

Around the time I was putting together my Nudges list, the capital city of Michigan came up in conversation. No one in my little group could come up with it. (Detroit, FYI.) In addition to feeling embarrassed that I couldn’t come up with the answer on the spot, this  planted a seed in me as I thought about how much fun I have had learning: spelling bees, vocabulary tests, geography, algebra (oh, how I loved algebra!). I miss using the part of my brain that loves the process of looking things up, learning, memorizing, and testing.

But that was only part of the inspiration for me. Earlier this year a dear friend became a U.S. citizen and I had the privilege of attending her naturalization ceremony. It was one of the most moving experiences of my life. Afterwards, she shared with me her test materials, which Thor and I were sure we would ace. Actually, there were a few answers we didn’t know!

So I’m going to take this opportunity to (re)learn a bit about my beloved country.

If this particular nudge doesn’t appeal, here are some options: learn the capitals of countries in a specific region, memorize a portion (or all) of the periodic table, look up the Latin names for the plants in your backyard. Do something the tickles your curiosity bone and have fun with it!

Nudged: Make and decorate a cake

1 Reply

Backstory: I am a huge fan of baking shows, which is ironic because I don’t like eating most baked goods. What I love is the mix of art, creativity, science, beauty, and nerves of steel. I hold my breath as I watch home cooks–like me!–test their skills and push beyond their boundaries and create things that inspire my imagination.

One of the skills I am not naturally gifted with is piping. I would love to learn how to make those fancy borders and swirly tops and pretty edible flowers and…. This is my chance to try it all.

What Happened: I went to the market three times this week, each time with the ingredients to make a cake and icings on my list. And three times I couldn’t pull the trigger. What the heck?! I just…I just didn’t want to.

At one point I tried to talk myself into this because I was pretty sure the photos would show results similar to my latte art nudge. (My attempts to create a frothy “heart” were hilarious–see the nudge here.) Yes, that would have made for a funny post, but it wouldn’t have been true to the intention of 52Nudges.

Why didn’t I want to make and decorate a cake?…. How about…because I don’t like cake.

For real. Simple truth.

On my last trip to the market I picked up some whipping cream thinking maybe I’d just do some practice piping on a board and call it a day. But I didn’t even want to do that. So I put aside this nudge for another day and went into the kitchen to make something I truly enjoy making: All-American Apple Pie:

All-American Apple Pie

I should note that I don’t like eating pie any more than I like eating cake. But Thor loves this, and I love making it for him.

The Ah-Hahs: When I created my list almost a year ago, the nudges all appealed to me for one reason or another. I can also give you reasons for why I feel I should do some of them. But as I progress through this nudging process, what I’m really learning is what feels right for me right now. How do I want to spend my time and energy and creative gifts? What makes me happy? What fills my soul? I’m still going to nudge myself to try new things, especially things that push me out of my comfort zone, but as I do them, I’m paying closer attention to what I feel is “100% Kath”.

I refuse to have regrets, but I imagine my life would be quite different if I’d figured this out in my 20s. But–hey–imagine how authentically amazing my life is going to be moving forward. 🙂

Nudging: Make and decorate a cake

1 Reply

Backstory: I am a huge fan of baking shows, which is ironic because I don’t like eating most baked goods. What I love is the mix of art, creativity, science, beauty, and nerves of steel. I hold my breath as I watch home cooks–like me!–test their skills and push beyond their boundaries and create things that inspire my imagination.

One of the skills I am not naturally gifted with is piping. I would love to learn how to make those fancy borders and swirly tops and pretty edible flowers and…. This is my chance to try it all.

Nudged: Phone a friend

Leave a reply

Backstory: This one is inspired by “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” For real! The idea is to look around at my various projects and to do lists, figure out where I need help, and tap into my wealth of personal resources. I have friends who are have an eye for interior design, who have a true sense of fashion, who are organizational gurus, who are handymen (and women!). It’s about stopping the procrastination and asking for help.

Who you gonna call? 🙂

What Happened: What I really wanted to do was call this one friend in particular and get her advice about how I might upgrade our living room decor and have her help me cull my wardrobe while taking her suggestions for just the right in-style pieces to make me feel good. Instead, I came up with every excuse for why this can’t happen right now: I still don’t feel ready to have people over (even in masks), I don’t feel comfortable spending money to make what feel like extravagant purchases, I’d like to lose the extra pounds I’ve gained from comfort eating before I add anything to my wardrobe…. Sigh.

I tried talking myself out of these excuses and into following through with this nudge, but it just didn’t feel right. So I listened to my heart and what it wanted out this nudge.

Phone

After some quiet thinking, I made a quick list of friends I haven’t been able to see in months and I started calling. For most I got their voicemail, so I left short messages along the lines of “I’m thinking of you! I miss you! Hope you and your loved ones are safe and healthy!” Others picked up and we were both treated to a loving reconnection.

(I just took a close look at the above photo. Gack! Having now cleaned the cabinets–see last week’s nudge–I think I need to clean all of the phones around the house!)

The Ah-Hahs: Like with so many of these nudges, sometimes I have to shift in the middle and do what feels right in the moment. I still hope–and plan!–to call some of my expert friends for their help in the future. But for this week’s, it felt really good to just make a lot of “Thinking of you” calls.

By the way, I hope you and your loved ones are all safe and healthy! xoxo

Nudging: Phone a friend

Leave a reply

Backstory: This one is inspired by “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” For real! The idea is to look around at my various projects and to do lists, figure out where I need help, and tap into my wealth of personal resources. I have friends who are have an eye for interior design, who have a true sense of fashion, who are organizational gurus, who are handymen (and women!). It’s about stopping the procrastination and asking for help.

Who you gonna call? 🙂

Nudged: Wipe down the kitchen cabinets

Leave a reply

Backstory: Our kitchen…sigh. It is not in any way a passionate home cook’s dream set-up. It is oddly configured and even more oddly decorated. We have an old miner’s inspired lamp hanging in one half; a bare bulb hanging in the other. The decor dates back to the 1970s and features worn linoleum that…wait for it…some previous creative (and cheap) owner decided to use bits of extra to run up sections of some of the walls. I dream of our home being selected for one of those great makeover shows where a team comes in and redoes everything in just one week! (Notice I did not say a “reality” show.)

What is often my greatest challenge with this heart of our home, where I make almost all of our meals, is that my only work space is a cramped 20″ x 30″.

But…I have a kitchen. I have working appliances. I have money for food and skills that make it possible for me to serve up more than mac ‘n’ cheese from a box every day. I also have friends who create gourmet feasts for parties of it in a kitchen half the size of mine.

So it’s time I shift my perspective and show this room a little love, starting with cleaning the grimy (and good grief, they’re disgusting when you really look) kitchen cabinets.

What room in your home could use a little TLC this week?

What Happened: All the fingerprints, splatters, smudges…gag. I spritzed, I scrubbed, and I buffed.

Cabinets Before 2

Before…

Cabinets After 2

…and after.

It took me less than an hour to get the whole room done, and while my work wasn’t perfect, it was progress. I notice the difference.

The Ah-Hahs: After the first couple of cabinets, I started looking around at the rest of the room. The floor is clean, though it would benefit from a deep-cleaning. I really should use a mop to wipe the ceiling and take down some of the cobwebs in the corners. (When did those take up residence?) And I should also tackle cleaning the doors throughout the house that show signs of dirty hands and noses (thanks, Louie). But I stopped myself from pulling an all-nighter. Those tasks can be future nudges.

The real ah-hah though was that as I worked, I found myself appreciating all that I do have. See that list above: home, actual kitchen, food. I remembered back to when I moved apartments many years ago and a friend who helped with the unloading showed up with a blessing. We asked that my new space be filled with friends and love and laughter. So I did something similar this week. I thanked my cabinets for all they do, and I blessed this space that–despite my complaining about its flaws–makes it possible for me to receive a lot of joy.

Nudging: Wipe down the kitchen cabinets

Leave a reply

A note about Passes: Hello, all! For anyone who has been following 52Nudges, you know  one of my “rules” is that I allow myself four “Passes” during the 52 weeks. The intention behind this is to “nudge” me into doing things that are truly outside of my comfort zone. Unfortunately, during this interesting time in our lives, many of my original nudges are simply not possible. This week, for example, I drew “Browse a consignment store”, “Try out a new bar”, and “Work for 2 hours in a remote office space.” I tossed those back in my box for future nudges, and pretty much have given myself a “pass” on passes for the duration. I’ll do those other nudges when sheltering-in-place and COVID are in our past. Meanwhile, please stay safe and healthy! Wear a mask and wash your hands! xo

Backstory: Our kitchen…sigh. It is not in any way a passionate home cook’s dream set-up. It is oddly configured and even more oddly decorated. We have an old miner’s inspired lamp hanging in one half; a bare bulb hanging in the other. The decor dates back to the 1970s and features worn linoleum that…wait for it…some previous creative (and cheap) owner decided to use bits of extra to run up sections of some of the walls. I dream of our home being selected for one of those great makeover shows where a team comes in and redoes everything in just one week! (Notice I did not say a “reality” show.)

What is often my greatest challenge with this heart of our home, where I make almost all of our meals, is that my only work space is a cramped 20″ x 30″.

But…I have a kitchen. I have working appliances. I have money for food and skills that make it possible for me to serve up more than mac ‘n’ cheese from a box every day. I also have friends who create gourmet feasts for parties of 10 in a kitchen half the size of mine.

So it’s time I shift my perspective and show this room a little love, starting with cleaning the grimy (and good grief, they’re disgusting when you really look) kitchen cabinets.

What room in your home could use a little TLC this week?

Nudged: Treat my feet

Leave a reply

Backstory: Upon drawing this morning’s nudge, my first thought was PEDICURE! It’s been over two years since I’ve had a full-service professional pedicure, and this may be the week I pull the money from my budget and treat myself to an hour of pampering. (Face mask on, of course.)

But then I pulled my notes about what inspired this nudge, and it was simply to lather my feet in thick lotion and put them up in some heated booties (a gift from a friend that I haven’t used as much as I should). That’s more in line with my “rules”, which dictates that nudges must be “cheap”.

We’ll see how I feel as I head into the week.

What might you do to treat your feet — or any part of you that needs a little extra TLC — this week?

What Happened: I was all set to give myself the full treatment at home: soak in a tub of hot water and Epsom salt, scrub the callouses off, trim the cuticles, polish the nails in some cheery color. Then (and stay with me), I asked my feet what they wanted.

They wanted to walk in the sand.

feet in sand

So off to the beach I went, for a long barefooted walk.

It was exactly the treat my sweet feet — and sweet spirit — needed.

The Ah-Hahs: It was in February of this year that I finally — after nearly 10 years of living here — spent time at the beach near my home. That one nudge shifted so many things for me, and now the beach is where I go whenever I need a reboot.

sand dollar

The air, the sounds and feel of the water, and the sand (bonus: natural callous-scrubber!) are all free. I’m learning again and again with these nudges to appreciate — and take full advantage of — the simplest pleasures.

Nudging: Treat my feet

Leave a reply

Backstory: Upon drawing this morning’s nudge, my first thought was PEDICURE! It’s been over two years since I’ve had a full-service professional pedicure, and this may be the week I pull the money from my budget and treat myself to an hour of pampering. (Face mask on, of course.)

But then I pulled my notes about what inspired this nudge, and it was simply to lather my feet in thick lotion and put them up in some heated booties (a gift from a friend that I haven’t used as much as I should). That’s more in line with my “rules”, which dictates that nudges must be “cheap”.

We’ll see how I feel as I head into the week.

What might you do to treat your feet — or any part of you that needs a little extra TLC — this week?