Me & My Quite Contrary Life

NUDGED: "Write in a new way" (re-do week!) BACKSTORY: My original intent for this nudge was to learn to write in Shorthand like my Grandma did. I have an old book that teaches it, but I have struggled to learn it each time I have tried. It's all dashes and lines to me!  This week, I want to take something "basic" (writing) and do it in a new way. Maybe I will revisit Shorthand this week, or maybe I will try to write in cursive again? Maybe I can try hand-lettering as something new. I love options! QUOTE: "Life begins at the end of your comfort zone!" HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK: Take two! I am finally feeling better, after feeling like I got hit by a bus for 8 days. I am grateful to be healthy again and grateful for all the calls, texts, messages and deliveries this past week. I have the best friends and family! You are so appreciated by me.  I paged though the Gregg Shorthand book. My edition has a date of September 1945! It didn't make a lot of sens...

NUDGED: "Write in a new way" BACKSTORY: My original intent for this nudge was to learn to write in Shorthand like my Grandma did. I have an old book that teaches it, but I have struggled to learn it each time I have tried. It's all dashes and lines to me!  This week, I want to take something "basic" (writing) and do it in a new way. Maybe I will revisit Shorthand this week, or maybe I will try to write in cursive again? Maybe I can try hand-lettering as something new. I love options! QUOTE: "If you want to make God laugh, tell Him about your plans." - Woody Allen HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK:  I started the week with writing in cursive. I usually print and haven't used cursive for decades. It was slow at first! I had to think about each letter and write it slowly. It took me 10x longer to write! I wanted to keep with it though, and was curious to see if my writing got better the more I did it.  Then, my plans changed and week derailed with a number: 10...

NUDGED: "Take journal to coffee shop for 1 hour" BACKSTORY: This was a newer nudge I added at the beginning of the year to help me do more fun things that I enjoy...but then COVID happened. I kept pulling this nudge during several weeks, only to throw it back because coffee shops were closed. Boo!  While many coffee shops are still closed, the drive thrus are open and many still need business. It's time for me to figure out my new normal, so I accepted the nudge this week with the extra challenge of completing it during a pandemic.  I don't see myself actually sitting in a coffee shop and journaling, but I will find another nice, safe spot to enjoy writing with coffee. I want to make it work this week!  QUOTE: "Reading is my inhale and writing is my exhale." - Glennon Doyle in "Carry On, Warrior" (This quote deeply resonates with me!) HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK: I'm surprised at how difficult it was to complete this nudge, considering in the availa...

First of all, Happy Easter to you! He is risen! I hope you are having a blessed and safe day, wherever you are. NUDGED: "Do a daily writing prompt each day this week" BACKSTORY: I own several books that offer space to write a few lines each day or respond to a writing prompt. I love buying these books and love writing, but haven't made writing in them a habit yet. Time to start this week! QUOTE: "Writing helps you reflect on your life and changes you're making. This is incredibly valuable, as often we do things without realizing why, or what effects these things are having on us." - Leo Babauta HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK: In hindsight, this wasn't the ideal week to attempt this nudge. Due to our current pandemic, I spent every evening this week sewing face masks. It took a lot of my time and focus. But I didn't set a time goal or a minimum word count for this nudge; I just had to write every day. And I did! I tried writing at different times ...

NUDGED: "Write for 1 hour with no interruptions" BACKSTORY: I enjoy writing but find I do it in short periods of time a lot recently - ten minutes here, five minutes to jot down an idea there. My mind is always racing from one thing to the next. I get interrupted and distracted a lot. What would happen if I forced myself to write for one hour without any interruptions or distractions? Would I run out of words to say before my hand cramps? I was determined to find out with this challenge!  QUOTE: "Multitasking is the art of doing twice as much as you should half as well as you could." - Anonymous HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK: I prepared my space with paper, pens, glass of water, a blanket and a lap desk. I then set the timer on my phone and put it out of my reach so I wouldn't be distracted. I gave myself an hour to write. As a thought pertaining to this nudge came to me, I jotted it down to remember how the hour felt. Here's a few thoughts that occurred t...

NUDGED:  "Write my own story" BACKSTORY:  I have loved to write all my life. I would tell my mom stories when I was three years old and insist that she write them down. My love of writing continued with taking advanced English classes in school, then earning a degree in Journalism in college. I wrote for my high school and college newspapers, and loved writing feature stories. Today, I still write life stories for hospice patients, something I really enjoy doing. But, it has been easy for me to hide behind the pen and paper and let MY story go untold. My challenge this week was to tell my story. QUOTE:  "There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you." - Maya Angelou HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK:  I was excited for the challenge this week but also nervous. I wanted to get it right and didn't know where to start. I decided to trust the timing of this nudge and pursue the obvious personal story. This nudge was drawn on "Pivot Day", th...