Peanut butter and _________ sandwich. What’s your pleasure?
How about peanut butter and pickle sandwich? Have you ever tried it? I like mine with bread and butter pickles. Next time, I’ll have a more seasonal pick for you.
One of my favorite pleasures, my house beer for the next several months is a seasonal one: Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale.
I’ve been listening to the Accidental Creative podcast from Todd Henry. I’m way late to the party but catching up on past episodes while I walk and clean. Each episode is only 10 to 20 minutes long. His website says it best: “We’re an arms dealer for the creative revolution. We teach people and teams to be prolific, brilliant, & healthy, and we share ideas and tools that help them thrive.” If you “live by your wits” (as one of my friends says), you’ll want to check this out.
Another good gift for your noodle is Brain Pickings, Maria Popova’s blog. She reads deeply and widely, and shares her finds a few times a week. You never know what to expect. For example, one week, I read about Van Gogh and the “scientific mysteries of movement and light,” an alphabet book, Amanda Palmer and Henry David Thoreau, and Anne Lamott (a writer’s favorite).
I’m totally into my Fitbit. I knew it would appeal to my competitive and Virgo anal-retentive nature. In two months, I’ve lost eight pounds because I’m moving, all the time. Got to get those steps! Got to get on top of the leaderboard! Imagine if I wasn’t such a food-, beer- and wine-loving fool, think of how much more I’d be losing. Don’t get me wrong, I’m ecstatic about the eight. And hope I can keep going during this season of abundant indulgence.
A recent inspiration for kicking my butt into action was Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School, a book by John Medina, a developmental molecular biologist. The first brain rule is exercise. We must exercise if we want optimal brain performance. I found myself reading sections of this book out loud to Jim (or whoever else was around). It even prompted me to come out from behind my usual ghostwriting persona and write under my own name for one of my clients – how these brain rules can improve board director orientations. Exciting, huh? That’s my world!
When I’m in the car I listen to NPR if I’m in the mood for talk, or a rock or country station if I’m in the mood for music. But lately, I can’t switch away from Funny 570 AM, the Raleigh affiliate of Today’s Comedy – all comedy all the time! See if there’s an affiliate in your area. Enough with depressing news, make me laugh!
What’s been grabbing your attention lately? Happy Thanksgiving Eve!
