Tag Archives: play

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!

Nudged: Create a chalk message on front sidewalk

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Backstory: What are some of the things you loved doing as a child? Off the top of my head:

  • Seeing how high I could swing on the swings at the playground.
  • Creating baked goods. (Some experiments didn’t qualify as “good,” but they were still creative and fun).
  • Dancing, both in ballet class and freestyle with my friends.
  • Pretending to be Nancy Drew/Barbie/one of Charlie’s Angels.
  • Getting lost in a good book (Nancy Drew, Little House on the Prairie).
  • Decorating the sidewalk with colored chalk.

Whenever we host a special event, I love to greet our guests with a message. Happy Birthday! Merry Christmas! Welcome! I typically include their names with some simple drawings (hearts, flowers), and when I open my door, I am gifted with big smiles.

There’s no special occasion this week, but I think it will be fun to greet my neighbors with a bit of joy.

I keep a basket of chalks, both the small and big sizes, in a table by the front door. They’re cheap! Find colored chalks at toy stores, crafting stores, and some grocery or drug stores.

Chalk not your thing? Then maybe pull out a sheet of printer paper and draw a sign of greeting to hang in your window or on your front door. Have fun with this!

What Happened: Early Monday morning, feeling a bit goofy, I went outside and wrote my message. I used a light-colored chalk, so it’s a little hard to see in the photo. It reads:

It’s going to be a GREAT day! (smiley face)

 

I smiled the whole time I was writing it…until I looked up and was face-to-face with a neighbor I’ve seen around but don’t know. He was dressed for work (of course); I was in animal print flannel PJs, blotchy pillow-imprinted face, and bed-head hair. Lovely! I imagined him thinking, “Crazy woman”, but you know what? I didn’t care. I wished him “Good morning!”, gave him my friendliest smile, and finished the last touch on my message.

As my day progressed, I found myself sneaking peeks outside the front window. Had anyone noticed my message? Was anyone lifted out of Monday Morning Gloom?

It didn’t take long for me to realize the message was for me as much as anyone. I was wishing myself a great day, setting the stage for a great day with a great attitude. And I found myself smiling frequently.

The next morning, although my original message was intact, I wanted more. Now I am not an artist. I don’t kid myself about that, especially since I work with amazing artists and know what they are capable of. But I can do simple drawings, so I went with this:

Wednesday, rains gifted me with a fresh canvas of sorts, so on Thursday it felt appropriate to create this:

Again, no one stopped by to comment. I don’t know if it made anyone smile or think how much they used to love chalk drawings. It didn’t matter, because…

The Ah-Hah: …doing this made me happy. That’s right, just a few minutes in the morning instilled a lightness and joy in me that lasted all day long.

There were a few moments of “I should take a class! I should learn more art!” I really think that’s beyond me, but I can appreciate the delight that comes from things like the International Chalk Festival. If you are looking for inspiration for your own creations—or just want to be delighted—check out some of the artists and their amazing work here.

P.S. We’re having some friends over for dinner tonight. Guess what I’m going outside to do right now? 😉

Nudging: Create a chalk message on front sidewalk

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Backstory: What are some of the things you loved doing as a child? Off the top of my head:

  • Seeing how high I could swing on the swings at the playground.
  • Creating baked goods. (Some experiments didn’t qualify as “good,” but they were still creative and fun).
  • Dancing, both in ballet class and freestyle with my friends.
  • Pretending to be Nancy Drew/Barbie/one of Charlie’s Angels.
  • Getting lost in a good book (Nancy Drew, Little House on the Prairie).
  • Decorating the sidewalk with colored chalk.

Whenever we host a special event, I love to greet our guests with a message. Happy Birthday! Merry Christmas! Welcome! I typically include their names with some simple drawings (hearts, flowers), and when I open my door, I am gifted with big smiles.

There’s no special occasion this week, but I think it will be fun to greet my neighbors with a bit of joy. (And fingers crossed there is no rain!)

I keep a basket of chalks, both the small and big sizes, in a table by the front door. They’re cheap! Find colored chalks at toy stores, crafting stores, and some grocery or drug stores.

Chalk not your thing? Then maybe pull out a sheet of printer paper and draw a sign of greeting to hang in your window or on your front door. Have fun with this!

Nudged: Fix something

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Backstory: Right after I pulled this Nudge from the jar, I scribbled down a list of to dos from off the top of my head: replace the smoke detector in my office, clear the shower drain, mend the collar of my favorite sweater…. Easy things to do, I suppose, so I don’t understand why this list grows and grows as I put things off.

Or maybe this Nudge isn’t about literally fixing a “thing” but about mending a rift, rebuilding a connection, healing a hurt. There’s all sorts of ways we can approach this one. Let’s see what comes up.

What Happened: Monday morning I pulled out my actual to do list (which runs four pages in double columns of nine-point font—ugh) and combined that with the list I came up with on the fly Sunday morning. There are big to dos, like scheduling repair work on my car, and little to dos, including all those “quick ’n’ easy” tasks that pile up. I imagined taking half a day and buzzing around, crossing things off the list, while Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Flight of the Bumblebee” played in the background.

Tuesday our wonderful housekeeper cleared the shower drain, so I got a freebie. Today I faced a big work deadline, so naturally this was the perfect time to distract myself. I set my timer for one hour (to help me stay focused), then grabbed some tools. First I removed the showerhead that has been spraying us at about 50% capacity lately. After soaking it in lime remover didn’t make a difference, I went online for help and found a recipe for 1/3 cup baking soda + 1 cup white vinegar for dissolving deposits. While that soaked, I grabbed the WD40 and oiled all the locks. No more struggling to get into the house! Then I super-glued a piece of art that has been in need of attention for like a year. Check, check, check. Huzzah! I felt like such a super woman and I had fun.

Fun?

Yes, fun.

I feel a wonderful sense of accomplishment when I fix things around the house. I know this is in part because some of these tasks are considered “man’s work”, and dangit, I like knowing I can take care of things myself (thank you very much).

“I am woman. Hear me…wrench something!”

Ah-Hahs: What needs fixing most? My attitude. Sure, dealing with household chores is a pain, but they have to be done. So…why not make a game out of it or turn up the stereo and dance my way through them? Think of all I could accomplish and how much more fun I could inject into my life if I just fix myself a little bit. Hmmm….

Nudged: Take Thor to a new place for date night

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Backstory: (For those of you who are new to 52Nudges, “Thor” is the code name for my darling husband.)

I think we’re pretty good about getting out on date nights, but we certainly have our favorite spots (some might call that a “rut”). This is our chance to try something new.

Maybe this is the week we’ll check out one of the ethnic restaurants I learned about when I was inspired by visiting a new market (read the post here). Maybe we’ll put a bunch of different restaurant names on strips of paper, toss them in a bowl, and make a random selection. Or maybe we’ll skip dinner and go straight to a bowling alley, movie theater with recliners, miniature golf course, or pumpkin patch. Hmmm…I might have date night ideas for the next several months!

What would be fun for you? Significant other not available or up for adventure? Then take yourself out. Or call up a friend…or several friends. Wherever you end up, I hope you’ll take a moment to toast yourself for nudging yourself into trying something new. xo

What Happened: There were so many great options, so many places nearby we have yet to try! Finally I decided on a tiny family-owned Italian place we’ve driven past for years. While it’s barely nudging us out of our comfort zone, my choice does have an intention. We’re starting to save up for a big vacation in Italy, and I’m watching movies, reading books, listening to language CDs, and doing whatever I can to keep us motivated to save that money and get excited about going on this adventure together.

I booked the table, then I sent Thor a text message to formally ask him out on a date. It’s silly, I know, but when was the last time you practiced all those courting rituals? He responded in kind, and we were set.

I arrived a bit early and was seated when he walked in the door. Although I know he saw me, he made a point of checking at the counter, then he turned to me and introduced himself as if it was a first, and blind, date. Silly (and adorable) man. Then…he pulled this from behind his back:

So, yes, I married a gem. We had a lovely evening, we nurtured our romance, and we discovered a sweet local restaurant to which we’ll return.

Ah-Hahs: This was one of those “small Nudges” that was so easy to do and so fun. So what if it didn’t lead to any new epiphanies? It was simply fun to venture out of our normal routine.

But I did have one bigger ah-hah: I don’t get flowers spontaneously very often any more. Maybe I’ll receive something on a birthday or following a medical procedure (right?), but flowers “just because”? Doesn’t much happen.

It was really nice, it left me feeling almost giddy. And I’d like for my friends to feel this way more often too. So I’m adding this to the bowl of Nudges: Send flowers to a friend for no particular occasion.

 

Nudging: Take Thor to a new place for date night

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Backstory: (For those of you who are new to 52Nudges, “Thor” is the code name for my darling husband.)

I think we’re pretty good about getting out on date nights, but we certainly have our favorite spots (some might call that a “rut”). This is our chance to try something new.

Maybe this is the week we’ll check out one of the ethnic restaurants I learned about when I was inspired by visiting a new market (read the post here). Maybe we’ll put a bunch of different restaurant names on strips of paper, toss them in a bowl, and make a random selection. Or maybe we’ll skip dinner and go straight to a bowling alley, movie theater with recliners, miniature golf course, or pumpkin patch. Hmmm…I might have date night ideas for the next several months!

What would be fun for you? Significant other not available or up for adventure? Then take yourself out. Or call up a friend…or several friends. Wherever you end up, I hope you’ll take a moment to toast yourself for nudging yourself into trying something new. xo

 

 

 

 

Nudged: Go to the gym 3x

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Backstory: This was a drop-in, you won’t find it on the List. Here’s what happened:

My darling husband, Thor (the name he picked for himself for when he’s mentioned here), has been checking every Sunday to hear about what I’ve done and what I’ve drawn for the coming week. He’s made some excellent suggestions along the way, and helped me to rehash and reevaluate post-Nudge thoughts. A few times I’ve asked if he’s wanted to do the Nudge with me, but he’s always declined. Up till this week.

We’ve both been super-busy with work commitments, with additional events happening after hours and on weekends. It’s a lot. And lately I’ve found our daily check-in conversation goes something like this:

Venus: How was your day?

Mars: Fine.

Venus: How are you?

Mars: Fine.

Venus: What’s on your mind?

Mars: Nothing.

So yesterday we took Louie the dog out for a long walk and caught up. After our usual check-ins (see above), he shared with me that he’s dragging around the weight of not knowing what he wants to do with the last half of his life, a dilemma I can certainly relate to. Many of our friends are retiring from careers and now have time to pursue long-time passions and hobbies. What might ours be? We’ve talked about signing up for classes, brainstorming, getting creative about figuring this out…. No surprise, to him (to many of us) the prospect of figuring out The Rest of Our Lives is overwhelming.

I shared with him the questions Saeeda shared with me during our interview a couple of months ago (read it here): Not “What do you want to do?” in life, but “How do you want to feel?” There are no right/wrong answers, I said to Thor. “You can pick intellectually challenged, silly, strong, relaxed, content, intrigued, entertained…let’s start with how you’d like to feel and we’ll figure out the doing part later.”

Over brunch I suggested we brainstorm some ideas for this. Not happening. Okay. But mid-afternoon he told me he’d decided his Nudge for this week would be “Go to the gym 3 times.” Perfect.

I will be doing this Nudge with him. It’s my hope that we’ll go to the gym together on some, if not all, outings, but since he likes to get up at 4:00 am (and I, well, don’t), we’ll see how it goes.

As we head into this week, I’m thinking about how having someone as an accountability partner can nudge us a little further. Or it can simply make it more fun. If you don’t have a spouse or significant other, think about asking a friend to join you in a Nudge. If that doesn’t feel comfortable to you, then consider making me your partner. Share your chosen Nudge for the week, update me in comments, and at the end of the week, let me know how you did. Let’s encourage each other to fuller lives.

What Happened: Monday morning, 4:55 am: “Kath. It’s time.”

My darling likes to get up at 4:00 am on weekdays, have his coffee, watch the news, clean the kitchen (I told you he’s a gem), then be at the gym when they open their doors at 5:00 sharp. I aspire to this, but my days are really really long and I get really really tired. I begged off on this first day. However, a couple of hours later, when my to do list threatened to consume all of today and tomorrow, I remembered my commitment to this Nudge and got myself out the door. Got my workout in and checked off the first of three days. Yay!

Tuesday morning I was up and dressed before Thor gave me my five-minute warning. We got to the gym, got in our workouts, and got our days started. Wahoo!

Wednesday: I don’t know if this is allergies or a cold or my body just crying uncle. I’m out. Thor had an especially long day ahead, so he went into the office to prep early. There’s still time to do this.

Thursday, Friday, Saturday…(see “Wednesday”).

The Ah-Ha: You know, “best laid plans” and all. We both got two outta three, and I’ll take it. It was fun to come up with this idea and pursue it together, and I’m proud of us for giving this a shot.

I also realize this whole creative Nudging adventure is not really Thor’s thing, and I won’t push him to actively participate with me each week, but I do hope we’ll figure out other Nudges we can do together.

I asked Thor for his ah-hah on his first full Nudging experience and got, “It was fine.”

I’m good with that.

What greeted me at 5:00 am 🙂

 

Nudged: Visit a new-to-me bookshop (again)

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Backstory: What the…?! Didn’t I already…? Yes!

I must have put the wadded-up piece of paper back into the bowl, because this was one of my earliest Nudges. Ha! (Read the original Nudged post here.)

I could have tossed it, but the “rules” say I “have” to do what I’ve drawn, and I don’t want to waste one of my remaining passes.

The really crazy thing is that I am going somewhere this coming week that will be capital-p Perfect for this Nudge. No coincidences here!

Meanwhile, if you’re new to this site, take a look at the original “Visit a new-to-me bookshop” Nudge for inspiration for what you might do this week. You might go to the charming neighborhood shop and browse a section that’s not your usual destination (Poetry instead of Mysteries, or Biographies about grown-ups for you instead of YA and Children’s Lit for your kids). If books aren’t your thing, maybe you can go to a music shop or a hobby shop or a spice shop. I hope you will Nudge yourself out of your “nest” and expand your horizons. More than that, I hope you will have some FUN this week!

What Happened: Greetings from Portland, Oregon! If you are a bibliophile like me, you now know why this Nudge (a repeat) was absolutely perfect for this week: Portland is the home of Powell’s Books, the world’s largest independent book store. The funny part is, when I planned our get-outta-town vacation, I had not included this on our list of things to do and see. Yet Powell’s to me is like the god of all book stores, the Mother Ship, my Mecca.

 

I could have easily spent a full day there, wandering, touching, learning, exploring. The Rare Book Room itself was worth the whole trip. Naturally, I’d planned to just look. Naturally, I left with a bag of new books. 🙂

The Ah-Hahs: My husband and I work long hours and long days for long stretches of time. We take on a lot of responsibilities in both our jobs and personal lives. We were desperate for a vacation, but couldn’t come up with some place where we really really wanted to go, so Portland happened on a whim. We had a great time, but I think we need to be more intentional about how we spend our vacation time and dollars. We’re starting to talk about what might be our other Meccas, including places we want to see and experience while we’re physically able (time is not our friend on this). Machu Picchu comes to mind. A return to Paris. A walking trip through the Cotswolds. A long visit with my oldest girlfriend.

What is your Mecca? Can you start today planning how you might get there?

In addition to visiting Powell’s, we also wandered the fabulous Japanese Garden. We have a fabulous Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park, about 15 minutes from home, a place we’ve visited…never. In my 10 years in the city, in his 20-plus, we’ve never once set foot inside the gates. They even have days when entry is free to city residents. No excuses!

So, in addition to creating a list of far-flung places we want to visit, we’re making a list of places we might discover on a stay-cation: historical walking tours, the city’s “best” donuts/signature cocktails/brunch, the coolest spots for people-watching.

I hope you’ll share with me some of your inspirations, then watch for some of those to appear on the List for future Nudges.

Nudged: Listen to two old CDs

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Backstory: Because I work from an office in our home and do little driving, the same six CDs have been in my car for…two years? Longer? Sheesh, that’s embarrassing. And pretty much the only time I listen to music at home is while I’m prepping and cooking dinner. You’d think I could change up my playlist periodically, but my reality (some might call it my “rut”) is that the soundtrack to Hamilton! is on constant rotation. Not a bad choice, but the neighbors are probably sick of hearing me bellow out “Here comes the General—RISE UP!” at 7:34 pm every single night. (“An-ge-li-caaa…Ee-liii-za…AND PEGGY!”)

I don’t know what I thought I’d learn from this Nudge. I suppose it’s another step in the clearing out process to re-evaluate treasures and determine whether they are to be saved, tossed, or shared. Or maybe I just need to remember the pleasures of listening to really great music more often.

What Happened: I own David Sedaris’s Me Talk Pretty One Day on CD. I had completely forgotten about this, and even have the hardcover of this book on my nightstand to re-read this year. My god, but that man is hilarious—and heart-breaking. (“State v. Carolina” is a perfect example of both.) And there’s nothing like hearing his own stories in his very unique voice. I highly recommend!

I also found the classic The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart (“Abe Lincoln vs. Madison Avenue” and “Nobody Will Ever Play Baseball” are pure genius). I also dug up Salt and Dreaming Wide Awake from Lizz Wright (jazz singer with a voice that could melt butter), an early release from the young rockers of Acidic (check them out), and Cracked Rear View from Hootie & the Blowfish (confession: I still love them). Some of these replaced the ol’ favorites in my car, and the rest were stacked in the kitchen to accompany me in dinner prep.

Mid-week, our trusty portable CD player spun its final disc. It came with my marriage, so I’m not sure of its origins, but I guessing (based on the embedded cassette tape player) that it dates back to the last century (good grief). Still, it served me well in the kitchen and in this Nudge. Was its dying a sign that I was to do something else?

Nope. That night, Thor (darling husband) arrived with a box in hand, a brand new CD player (no cassette tape slot) that made our CDs sound even better. “You didn’t need to do that,” I said. “It was only like $40,” he said. He’s right. It’s a small investment in something that will entertain us for many more years in this century.

The Ah-Hah: I really just needed to remember the pleasures of listening to great music (and audio books and classic comedy routines). That’s it.

What’s on your playlist?

52+: Inspiration from the world’s oldest solo sky diver

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Kathleen WoodsLast night I slept for ten hours straight. In itself, that’s a good thing; I haven’t been sleeping well lately, and I needed the rest.

But the bigger picture is I’m still looking for that so-far-elusive something that makes me want to leap out of bed in the morning. A work project, a hobby, a passion. Something.

As I scanned the day’s news, this story on BBC.com came to my attention. Ms. Dilys Price, at 86, is the world’s oldest solo sky diver. She started the sport when she was just two years older than I am now. And she recently embarked on a new career.

Here’s the link to the brief story and video about her.

I have no interest in sky diving, however, I want some of what she has.

Take a look, consider Ms. Price’s advice, and think about what you might want for yourself. Then, let’s figure out how to do it.