Backstory: I almost used one of my passes on this one. Just not feelin’ it. Then I reminded myself that one of the goals of this 52Nudges program is to push myself a bit when I feel uncomfortable.
When I did this nudge in round one, I memorized my favorite Shakespearean sonnet, #29:
“When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes….”
It was actually pretty fun to re-stretch my memorization and presentation muscles. So here we go again.
Meanwhile, this is a good opportunity to remind everyone that you don’t have to do exactly what I do. Make your own list of nudges and draw one at random each week to do in tandem with me. Or just read along, be impressed when I slay a big nudge (or laugh with me when I “fail”), and take in inspiration whenever it strikes.
What Happened: My first instinct was to memorize a poem in French. HA! An online review of the most famous French poems quickly put that idea to bed. Waaaaaay too ambitious and beyond my linguistic skills (for now)!
Then I remembered one of the other inspirations I had for this nudge. Last year, on a whim, I checked out Where the Sidewalk Ends from the local library. This collection of truly whimsical poems by Shel Silverstein delighted me as a child, and I was eager to revisit it.
It did not disappoint.
Quite the opposite. It engaged, delighted, tickled, amused, and delighted me some more. I got in the habit of reading a few poems at bedtime, which allowed me to briefly forget the cares of the day and fall asleep with a smile on my face.
So for this nudge, I chose one of my favorites:
Listen to the MUSTN’TS, child,
Listen to the DON’TS.
Listen to the SHOULDN’TS,
The IMPOSSIBLES, the WON’TS.
Listen to the NEVER HAVES,
Then listen close to me–
Anything can happen, child,
ANYTHING can be.
The Ah-Hahs: As I practiced the poem every day this week, I found that it was becoming my new mantra. A reminder as I do creative work that it is my job, my purpose, my responsibility to think beyond the shoulds, musts, and nevers.
That, and I noticed I smiled a lot this week. 🙂