Backstory: The full title of this Nudge is “Go to a coffeehouse with an educational book and learn something new.” I’m laughing as I type this. It made for a looong strip of paper for my Nudges jar. But I knew when I included it on The List, I wanted it to be more than simply “Learn something new.”

The inspiration for this Nudge came from a client project I worked on early in the year. It involved a topic–an industry, really–I knew nothing about. I requested a couple of suggestions for books from the client and immersed myself in study. For a couple of intense days, I read, took notes, thought deeply, and then applied what I’d learned to the work.

It was…fun.

I’m looking forward to challenging my brain this week. This is also an excuse to get out of my office, and away from the distractions, so that I can again practice focusing on just one topic at a time.

What Happened: My original plan was to get something at the library, but I found myself at my favorite neighborhood bookshop on Monday with a little extra cash in my pocket, so decided to treat myself to something new. I browsed several sections, including art (maybe), gardening (um, no), cooking (already have too many cookbooks), philosophy (too intense), and U.S. history (I think I know most of this). I ended up in world history, where I briefly considered learning more about the kings of France (cop out!), but instead selected Searching for the Amazons: The Real Warrior Women of the Ancient World by John Man.

Omg, what did I get myself into? Would it be dry and boring? Would it be cheesy or sexist? That afternoon, I cracked it open over lunch and was relieved to discover Man’s writing is approachable, engaging, and delightful.

On Wednesday, I had an appointment with one of my doctors. I left home early and tucked myself into a cozy corner at a bakery across the street that I’d noticed on previous visits. I dove into the book and started taking notes. I was introduced to the long nomadic human history in the “steppes“, the grasslands of Asia. I mumbled “Wow!” (sometimes louder than etiquette dictates) over trivia such as how humans learned how to ride horses sometime around 3500 BC, but the first iron stirrups weren’t introduced till about the 2nd century AD “because a rope looped round the toe did the job.” (Wow.) Back in my office, I googled to learn more about what I’d read, including the famous statue of Athena that once stood in the Parthenon, and the temple to Apollo in Skliros, and the Bassae Frieze, which can now be seen in the British Museum. And Pentheslia, the Amazon warrior who was killed by Achilles….

I am completely geeking out, in the best possible way. 🙂

The Ah-Hahs: One of the aspects I love about my job is I’m constantly learning new things. One of the drawbacks is those topics aren’t always of my choosing. Picking up something pretty random and diving in this week was really fun. I felt…challenged, energized, reawakened, inspired. I enjoyed being a “student” again. So, maybe it’s time to take a closer look at the upcoming class schedule at city college. And then I need to start saving for trips to Greece and England and….