Me & My Quite Contrary Life

NUDGED: "Listen to the Hamilton soundtrack" BACKSTORY: Word of mouth, Facebook posts, and a short singing clip in a credit card commercial all peaked my interest for the music of "Hamilton". The play is very popular and I heard the music was fantastic, but had no first-hand knowledge of it. Time to actually listen to it instead of hearing about it! QUOTE: "Music touches us emotionally, where words alone can't." - Johnny Depp HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK: Per online research , I learned that the book, music and lyrics for "Hamilton" were written by Lin-Manuel Miranda. The music includes hip hop, R&B, pop, soul and traditional-style show tunes, and tells the story of "America then, as told by America now". It opened on Broadway on August 6, 2015, and has won many, many awards since then. I found the entire soundtrack online and listened to it all week. It was 2 hours 22 minutes long, so I listened to it whenever I had the time ...

(Caution....long post ahead! Get comfy!) For the past decade, I have selected a word/phrase as my “resolution” to work on each year. Each theme was meaningful to me and guided me throughout the year. I never know what I will learn or where it will take me, but am always amazed at the end of the year when I look back at how much I have grown. My phrase for 2019 was “ Be Brave ” and it has been another big year for me. I have a long list of the many brave things that I did that were out of my comfort zone. I am so proud of myself! While the year and theme may be soon over, each word/phrase has always stuck with me afterward. I will continue to be brave! But it's almost time to start a new word..... In the fall, I start contemplating the new word/phrase for the upcoming year.   I started by making a list of words as possibilities, then prayed about it a lot. I look for a word that will challenge me and excite me. For the upcoming year, I kept circling around the words ...

NUDGED: "Paint a picture" BACKSTORY: The excuses not to complete this nudge started soon after I saw the task for the week. That really surprised me as I always enjoyed being creative and crafty when I was younger, expressing myself through painting, coloring, drawing and writing. I currently have all the supplies to paint, but never get around to actually creating something. Why? My reasons for why I can't paint a picture right now: I'm not a good artist (perfectionist!). I don't want to waste good supplies that I may use later. I don't want to make a mess. I don't know what to make. There isn't a purpose for the artwork right now - what am I going to do with it when I'm done? QUOTE: "Art offers sanctuary to everyone willing to open their hearts as well as their eyes," said Nikki Giovanni. HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK: I gave myself permission to create something, even if it looks awful, to see how I felt while doing it. It is okay t...