Thirty One Days of Creativity

Thirty-one Days of Creativity. 

October has traditionally been the Thirty-one Day Writing Challenge. I have participated three times over the last four years. 

While this challenge is no longer officially around I have given some thought to participating in spite of this. As I reflected on what to write about I kept coming back to creativity. 

My initial thought was to choose one creative option each day, and write about how to add that to your day. However, as I thought more about it I realized that over the last four and a half years I have written about creativity quite a bit. 

So I’ve decided to do something a little unconventional for me. I am going to be reposting these previous posts beginning in 2015. I’m hoping that you will continue to read along, and perhaps look forward to learning more about the role of creativity in your life. 

As I’m writing this I’ve decided that each day I’ll add a Creativity Suggestion to each of my prior posts, kind of like a two for one. 

My hope for you is that you will be inspired to look for more ways to flex your creative muscle, and bring more joy to your life. 

Lessons Learned In Soup Making

Lessons learned in soup making. 

Now that it is officially fall, although I just turned DOWN the air conditioner, I’ve began making soup again. 

Last year I made some Tomato Basil soup that was to die for. Literally, I think it was the best soup I had ever made.  Unfortunately,I failed to make note of where I found the recipe. 

I was sure it was on Pinterest, but when I began looking this year nothing looked familiar.  I then googled it hoping that it would just pop up, but unfortunately that was not the case. 

My first lesson was if you find a recipe you like, have a way to keep up with it. With the ease of pinning these days I have accumulated hundreds of recipes, most of which I have not tried.  I’m obviously a recipe hoarder!

I narrowed it down to one recipe that looked somewhat familiar, but to be honest I knew the one I had used before did not call for roasted garlic. I reluctantly cut my Roma tomatoes in half, peeled my garlic, and sprinkled them with olive oil and salt and pepper.

The recipe called for 425 degrees for forty-five minutes, so I set the timer, and went on my way to grill onions, and snap the stems off my basil. 

When the tomatoes and garlic came out of the oven I knew something was wrong. As much as I wanted to say they were roasted, they actually were burnt. Not to be side-tracked I continued adding all the remaining ingredients hoping for the best. 

With the final addition of red pepper flakes I let the soup simmer for about twenty minutes, and then used my immersion blender to blend it to the right consistency. 

Now at this point I had learned that black garlic is not good, and roasted doesn’t mean burnt. I also foolishly added the red pepper flakes against my better judgement,  knowing that my tolerance for heat is minimal. 

I quickly grilled two grilled cheese sandwiches, and poured the soup into bowls. 

One sip was all it took to know for sure that this was not the same recipe I had used before. The best Chuck and I could describe it was a very spicy spaghetti sauce. Talk about a let down. 

Even the color seemed darker than I had remembered. Chuck was a trooper, and finished it because he actually likes spicy food, but I had to push it away. 

Today I was making a trip to Sprouts so I decided to try again. By this point I was determined not to give up my quest to procure the infamous Tomato Basil soup recipe, and to better recreate what I had initially made last year. 

This time I placed my tomatoes on a silicone mat rather than parchment paper, and turned the heat down to 400 degrees. (By the way, does anyone know why my silicone mat always sets off my smoke alarm?) I set the timer for twenty minutes, and although they did end up cooking for an additional twenty minutes, I checked them every ten minutes to make sure they did not burn. 

I minced my garlic, and sautéed it with my onions, and I left out the red pepper flakes completely. 

I’ve tasted the new batch, and it definitely is improved, but something is missing. I really could kick myself for not saving the initial recipe. This has made me realize that sometimes having too much of something is not a good thing. 

My plethora of recipes needs to be pared down to a manageable few of tried and true favorites. From now on I’m embracing a more minimalistic approach when it comes to my recipe collection. How about you?

The Power of Play

The power of play. 

Greg McKeown, author of Essentialism, describes play as, 

“Anything we do simply for the joy of doing rather than as a means to an end.”

At first glance play might seem like a nonessential, but we

are mistaken if we buy into this idea. 

McKeown reminds us that, “Play expands our minds in ways that allow us to explore, to germinate new ideas or see old ideas in a new light.” 

What once came so easily to us as children begins to fade away until as adults we no longer hold play as important.

Sadly, our education system today seems to deem play in the same light. Even our youngest children are allowed less and less playtime in their classrooms. 

What is known as an essential for cognitive development has somehow become nonessential.

Stuart Brown has researched play and its importance.

“Play leads to brain plasticity, adaptability and creativity.”

As we age it is critical to utilize the plasticity of our brains to help ward off cognitive decline. 

What could be a more fun than play to benefit our health?

Remember that first definition?

“Anything we do simply for the joy of doing rather than as a means to an end.”

What did you enjoy doing as a child?

Think back to the kind of play you engaged in. Was it board games, coloring, sports, outdoor activities?

See if you can replicate some of this in your adult life. A good friend of mine and her husband on a recent vacation stopped along the way to play miniature golf as often as they could. They had a marvelous time reliving their younger days. 

As a girl I loved to color, and I have taken it back up as an adult. Recently my grandson shared his Twistables with me, and I found that I liked them better than the colored pencils I had been using. I invested in the thirty piece set, and have enjoyed using them ever since. 

I had left some bubbles on the back porch after my grandsons had visited, and now enjoy blowing them while Cooper is out taking care of his business. I find it quite satisfying to watch them catch the light of the porch lamp in the evening. 

In deciding what to do don’t forget Gretchen Rubin’s advice, 

 “You can chose what you do, but not what you like to do.”

I’m not a huge board game fan so this probably wouldn’t be something I would chose to do. I do remember, though, loving to dance as a child, and this might be something for me to consider. It might be time to dust off that old Herb Albert album via Alexa and get dancing again. 

Look for opportunities to bring play back into your life no matter what your age. 

Courage

Courage. 

Bonnie Ware, a hospice nurse, found that many of her patients regretted not having lived a truly authentic life. For many meeting the expectations and obligations of others become the life they had not necessarily dreamed of. 

“I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.”

Steven Pressfield, author of The War of Art, points out that,

“Most of us have two lives, the lives we live and the lives we are capable of living.”

It’s easy to think when you are young that you have all the time in the world to accomplish your dreams. However, the reality for those of us past fifty is that our days are limited. We have probably lived the majority of our days already. 

At lunch the other day with my sister we were talking about her future plans, and some choices she had. What is the life you are capable of living when given the chance?

We must embrace the here and now, because after all, it really is all we have for sure. We can’t keep putting off things hoping that sometime in the future they might come to pass. 

Now this doesn’t necessarily mean we need to write a bucket list, and start checking off each item furiously. In Essentialism, by Greg McKeown we learn to get rid of the nonessentials, and hone in on what is essential to us. 

I don’t have a long list of places I want to travel, but I do make spending time with my grandsons a priority. I don’t need to join a million clubs to keep me busy, as long as I have time to read and write. 

There comes a time when we get to choose the life we want, and not the life that others say we should live. Having the courage to do so, though, is required. 

Courage, in fact, is acting in spite of the fear. We may always have some hesitation, but we shouldn’t let that stop us from “living the life we are capable of.”

Essentialism

Essentialism.

“The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of nonessentials.”

Lin Yutang

I’m reading an interesting book by Greg McKeown entitled, Essentialism. This philosophy is based on the German principle of Verchitz, which basically means “less but better.”

Today it appears that minimalism is all the rage, and while this may apply to our possessions, Essentialism has more to do with our choices, activities and priorities. 

McKowen states, “Essentialism is not about how to get more things done; it’s about how to get the right things done.”

Interestingly I was reading an article recently about the grocery chain Aldi, and learned that this Essentialism model of Verchitz is why Aldi is set up the way it is. 

If you have never shopped at Aldi you will probably find it very different from what you are used to. It is designed around the idea of simplicity and frugality, which are actually two of my favorite things. 

According to the article, “It all boils down to setting a goal and getting rid of everything else.”

Aldi carries a limited number of products, but basically they have all the essentials. Their prices are kept low because of the streamlined efficiency of their store. You will be amazed at how quickly they can check you out, but be prepared to not only bag your own groceries, but to be blown away at the low cost you will pay the cashier. 

Their prices are low, but they do not skimp on quality when it comes to their food. They have eliminated anything that gets in the way of providing a simple grocery shopping experience at a good price. 

We can take this philosophy of Essentialism and apply it to our own lives. Instead of allowing ourselves to be pulled in every direction doing nothing with much finesse, we can “invest in fewer things” that “matter most.”

In life we are often bombarded by too many choices.  Just like, Aldi, if we keep our choices more manageable then we might not succumb to “decision fatigue.” 

Learning how to keep the essentials, and to eliminate the things that really don’t matter  can lead to a simpler more satisfying life for many. It’s not just about cleaning out your closet, rather take a closer look at the activities you have included in your day to day life. 

What is nonessentials can you eliminate?

Roasted Pepitas

Roasted pepitas.

A pepita is actually a pumpkin seed; not the hard, pulpy white husk that we pull out of the pumpkin, but rather the green seed inside. 

I’ve been roasting pepitas lately using the recipe from Joanna Gain’s Magnolia cookbook, and I am obsessed. 

You can buy raw pepitas in bulk from places like Whole Foods or Sprouts. I bought a package of roasted and salted pepitas at Aldi the other day. 

Either way I’ve roasted both kinds, and they are delicious. 

Add your seeds to 1-2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet depending on the amount of seeds you are roasting. 

Add a pinch of cayenne, nutmeg, and salt to the seeds, and roast on medium heat for just a few minutes. Stir them making sure they don’t burn, and you will know when they are done just by their fragrance. 

Place them on a plate with a paper towel to absorb the butter. I keep mine in a glass jar in my pantry, but if you want you can freeze them for later. 

My favorite way to eat them is on a toasted English muffin, spread with Laughing Cow light cheese spread, a sprinkle of hemp hearts, and delicious roasted pepitas. The cayenne gives them the slightest bit of heat, but it’s not too overpowering. 

Pepitas have many health benefits including being high in antioxidants, good for your immune system, and are a healthy source of fat. 

Since I’ve just recently learned about these little bits of awesomeness, it makes me wonder, what other amazing food choices are out there that I don’t know about? 

Confidence

Confidence.

“Confidence doesn’t come from belief, it comes from evidence.”

Dr. Laura

I used to think that confidence came from believing in yourself, and unfortunately I didn’t always rise to the occasion. 

However, Dr. Laura pointed out the other day that believing in yourself wasn’t really what confidence was about. Rather it was about all the times you accomplished things through talent or hard work. It was the multiple times you failed, but tried again. 

Through these experiences you were building a resume of evidence proving your competence. This evidence allowed you to feel confident in your abilities. 

How do you build that confidence?  I see it every day with my young grandson as he has been taught and enabled to do things around his home that help him build the evidence he needs to prove his competence. Watching him spray off the front porch of his home with great aplomb despite his young age, made me realize that my son-in-law and daughter were wise beyond their years giving him the opportunity to do so.

The next time you find yourself doubting that you can do something start looking for evidence to prove yourself wrong. 

A Trip Down Memory Lane

A trip down Memory Lane. 

Chuck and I took a little trip down Memory Lane this past Saturday. We visited our childhood homes in Oak Cliff. 

I had driven past my old house many times before, and unfortunately knew that it wasn’t in the best of shape, although the neighborhood itself had remained quite nice. 

This time, though, I did something a little different. I had just attended a service at the National Cemetery for my childhood friend’s parents the day before, and her house, unlike mine looked great. 

I asked Chuck to stop the car so I could get out and snap a picture. She no longer lives in Texas, and I wasn’t sure if she has ever returned to the old neighborhood.

I jumped out of the car, and took a few pictures, and then turned around to walk back to my car. 

As I made my way down the street heading away from her house and closer to mine I had the strangest sensation. This was a section of the road that I had walked countless times as a young teen. 

Except, it had been close to fifty years since my feet had actually touched that same spot. I’d driven by many times, but I had never stopped. 

For an instant I was transported back to my childhood. I found myself near tears as I climbed back into the car. 

I really couldn’t put into words exactly what I was feeling, and even now I struggle to do so. That very piece of road had been walked many times by me between her house and mine. It was almost like I was thirteen year old girl again, except now I knew everything that would happen in the next fifty years. 

As we rounded the corner I had Chuck stop the car one more time at the home of another neighborhood friend. Another memory came flooding back as I remembered the hours we had spent sitting on the stone wall in front of her house trying to figure out the world. 

That wall still remained, and it felt good to sit there again. 

Getting Finished

Getting finished. 

“Do not plan for ventures before finishing what’s at hand.”

Euripides

Yesterday I posted about my difficulty in getting started. I found that some of my friends agreed, while others reported that starting was never the problem, rather finishing was. 

One of my very talented friends is always coming up with something new to tackle, but struggles to complete what she starts. She said, “So here I sit with a plethora of half finished projects.”

In reading this it reminded me of something I had read in Gretchen Rubin’s book about habits, Better Than Before. She asks the question, “Are you an opener or a finisher?”

Some people are naturally inclined to get started, and don’t hesitate to begin a new project. Unfortunately, they may lose steam half-way through, or find themselves bored and ready to start the next new thing. Unlike the finisher their tolerance for risk may be greater, but their discipline to finish might not be as strong. 

You might find that those who struggle to start, actually have very little trouble finishing once they get started. Finishers may have more of a need to see things come to a conclusion. 

What I have learned over the years is that self-knowledge can be a catalyst to change if you want it to be. This doesn’t mean that you can change completely, and nor should you. However, if you know that you are not a finisher by nature, and want to complete more of what you start, then you might want to be more aware of this as you begin something new. 

Not everything that has been started necessarily has to be finished, however, it’s kind of a shame if something really deserving never reaches that stage. 

Opener or finisher there seems to be room for both.

Getting Started

Getting started.

Why is it that sometimes the hardest part of accomplishing something is just getting started?

Mark Twain advised, “The secret to getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex, overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and starting the first one.”

I know for me I am often reluctant to start something because I’m either not sure exactly where to start or I’m not guaranteed success at the end. 

Both of these excuses have stood in the way over the years of me achieving things I’ve wanted. 

I’m really good at gathering information. I can spend weeks, months, even years contemplating the best way to do something. 

Unfortunately, when you never get started you never get finished.

I like the idea of breaking things down into manageable chunks. It’s the whole how do you eat an elephant question. One bite at a time. 

Just last week I was reminded at how fleeting life can be, and how we really shouldn’t waste any time not getting started. If there is something you have been wanting to do what small step can you take today to make it a reality?

The Habit Loop

The habit loop.

What if I were to tell you that “falling off the wagon” so to speak when it comes to your habits is pretty predictable?

Habits form in a loop, and when you consider some of the habits you have  tried to implement you might see yourself somewhere on this continuum. 

Based on the research of Prochaska, DiClemente, and later Norcross the following seems to be true when it comes to habits. Habits follow a sequential order as we see behaviors changing. 

We begin first in a Precontemplation stage where we really don’t see ourselves doing anything to change. We are just not ready at this moment to forge ahead, and are unmotivated to do anything different. 

The next stage is Contemplationwhere we are beginning to be ready to make a change. We might not do it today, but we can see ourselves changing sometime in the future. We are not quite ready to commit, but we are warming up to the idea. 

Preparation follows next as we are ready to start taking action on the changes we want to make in our life. This reminds me of the week after Christmas as you rev up to get that gym membership to start the new year. 

This is immediately followed by Action where you begin some sort of noticeable changes in your behavior in an attempt to achieve your goal. You may begin running in the morning, or bringing a healthy lunch to work. It is at this point that you begin to notice some changes. 

Action is eventually followed by Maintenance, where people are attempting to maintain the good habits they have worked so hard to achieve. It is during this time frame that they hope not to relapse. 

Unfortunately, because it is a loop you are probably only going to be able to maintain between six months to five years. But not to be discouraged...

After several “wagon falls” I’ve learned a few things:

Don’t be so hard on yourself, you are probably going to miss the mark here and there, but that’s not the end of the world. 

Don’t allow yourself a “finish line.” Just because you have reached your goal weight doesn’t mean your journey is over.

Luckily, the research shows that the longer you have experienced the ebb and flow of the loop, the shorter the distance from relapse to action the next time. In other words, just get back up on that horse, and continue on.

See how the habit loop works in your life, and determine which stage of change you are in. 

“Don’t count your loses, count your lessons. “

John C. Maxwell

“Cat-ccessory”

“Cat-ccessory:

A thing, usually a cat, which can be added to something else to make it more versatile kind of like a purse. 

It has become evident that my youngest grandson, even at nineteen months, has a real affinity for cats.

Each time he visited the home of a family friend he would constantly want to hold their cats. Now luckily for him, most of them didn’t mind being held upside down. 

When the opportunity came for his family to get their own kitten, you can only image how happy the cat person of the family was. 

The youngest is “purrfectly” content to tuck the little kitty under his arm and carry him around kind of like a “cat-ccessory” to quote my daughter.  He goes about his business while the cat is perfectly fine being held safely under the armpit of the youngest. 

In fact, the kitten goes out of his way to be with my grandson. He seems to have chosen him as his person, and their mutual admiration for each other is obvious. 

Ironically, the little feline was aptly named Tuffy by the three year old, and I’m thinking in order to survive the attention of the youngest he’s probably going to have to live up to his name! 

Adventure

Adventure.

“Life is a great adventure...accept it in such a spirit.”

Theodore Roosevelt

One of the definitions of adventure is “the exploration of unknown territory.”

I thought I might go on a little adventure the other day to check out an independent bookstore in a nearby town that I had been wanting to visit. 

It just so happened to be in a town that I had once lived in back in my single days so I thought I might kill two birds with one stone by taking a trip down memory lane. 

As I made my way past my old apartments I couldn’t help, but notice how unfamiliar everything looked. Even the elementary school next door had somehow morphed into a two story monstrosity. When did that happen?

As I made my way toward the bookstore I couldn’t help but be reminded about how much I had enjoyed living in that town years before. I’m never good with change when it comes to the places I’ve lived. I always expect them to somehow be the same, but they never are. 

I located the bookstore, and was quite charmed by the outside appearance. A trickling water feature, a trellised arbor, and outdoor seating made a perfect reading nook for its customers. 

Unfortunately, when I stepped into the tiny indoor space I was disappointed in what I found. I’m sure the coffee is probably quite good, but I had intended to focus more upon the books as I had already had a cup earlier that morning. 

It was somewhat anticlimactic to find only one shelf of books on the back wall. It was also almost impossible to check out all the books because someone was seated at one of the tables wedged into the small space, and was blocking my way. 

I was excited to see, though, that my neighbor’s books were featured on one of the shelves. She is an Indie author who had done an author talk there earlier in the month.

Unfortunately, I was out of town at the time, and was unable to attend. 

I didn’t stay long, and was a little disappointed that my adventure had kind of fizzled out, but I realized that life sometimes works that way. 

Not everything we attempt to do ends up being amazing, and yet that should never be a reason to hold us back from trying new things or visiting new places. 

Next time, I might need to plan to buy a cup of coffee, and bring something to read in the lovely, little outside nook. 

I’m including some information about my neighbor Tabi, and about the coffee shop Black and Bitter below:

https://www.tabislick.com/p/home.html

https://www.blackandbitter.com

I’m Just Talking to Noodles

I’m just talking to Noodles. 

Chuck and I had the great pleasure of hosting our three year old grandson last weekend as he spent the night with us for two nights. 

As we hung out together I couldn’t help, but be reminded of a time gone by when our daughter was three. I must admit being a parent was always the happiest time of my life, and I do miss those days. 

What I’ve discovered, though, is that parenting is pretty easy with only one child, and I am in constant amazement at what a good job my daughter does with her two boys, which defiantly raises it up a notch. 

 After the weekend the plan was that I would meet her and my youngest grandson at a halfway point to drop off the oldest. 

He was happily watching a show about trucks on his Amazon Fire in the backseat, while I was listening to the president on the radio. 

It was then that I heard a quiet voice coming from the back seat. I turned down the radio to ask my grandson if he was talking to me?

His response was priceless, and warmed my Mimi heart to no end. 

“No, I’m talking to Noodles,” he said. 

Now Noodles is his little stuffed horse that my daughter had given him  when his pacifier somehow got “broken.” Since then he and Noodles have become best buddies. 

In fact, Noodles has become real to him, and for a horse he seems to have his own opinions about most everything. 

As I listened in, it was apparent that my grandson was giving Noodles a play by play of everything he was seeing along the way to meet his Mom. Tall buildings, excavators, and cranes were all a delight to the boy and his tiny horse. 

Now for me, I must say that it was such a special moment, primarily because beyond being so sweet, I knew how fleeting it was. 

A few years from now Noodles will probably be packed away, and my grandson too old to share the delight of the world around him with a tiny, stuffed horse. 

I’m so glad I was paying attention to that small, quiet voice that found its way into my heart. 

I know when you are in the trenches of parenthood it’s easy to get distracted, but treasure those special moments that all too soon will be gone.