The Friday List (nice things you did for yourself this week)
Two things, both List-worthy:
1. Instead of doing what I always do, which is buy the cheapest running shoes I can find on sale and which don’t hurt my feet too badly, I took my neighbor/friend’s advice and went to this athletic shoe store that actually films your stride as you run on a treadmill, then fits you with the proper shoe to handle your specific issues. I asked the salesgirl, “So is this where people find out they’re really bow-legged or pigeon-toed?” She merely smiled and said, “You’re fine.” I guess you don’t joke about those things at a real shoe store.
So now I have proper shoes and proper inserts, and my toes are no longer poking out of the top material, and if that wasn’t a nice thing to do for my little self this week, I don’t know what is.
2. I love Outside magazine. It has some of the best adventure writing out there, plus it has the coolest pictures, all the way down to the advertisements. It’s one of those magazines I try to read cover-to-cover, but lately (um, the last year and a half?) I’ve barely gotten to it every few months.
But this week the new issue came, and I gave myself the treat of reading it instead of a novel. I know, I wondered about that, too. But the truth is there’s lots of great writing to read in this world, and not all of it is in books.
The thing that really got my attention was this month’s cover. Talk about your super-elite, super-cool, hard-bodied, risk-taking icons. I’ve looked at that picture about twenty times by now, because the paper doll-playing part of my personality wants to study every item of clothing they’re wearing, how they stand, whether or not they’re wearing shoes, etc. I might just need to cut those pictures out and tape them all over my office. Yeah, okay, I’m kind of weird.
Anyway, reading the magazine cover-to-cover was only part of my Nice Thing #2. Because it’s the 30-year Anniversary issue, Outside compiled some of their best advice from the experts over the years. And the one that stuck out for me was:
“Schedule Recovery Time. You’re not slacking off; you’re recovering. Take two days off each week, an easy week every month, and a month of active rest–like surfing or riding a cruiser–per year.”
Yeah, well, no to the surfing, but I’m not talking about exercise here anyway. I’m talking about the mental breaks we all need but feel guilty about taking. I’m talking about stepping way from the blog for a day or two if you need to catch up on your children’s lives or the laundry. I’m talking about reading something for the pure pleasure of it, not because it’s on anyone’s list or you think it’s important to have read.
I’m talking about doing nothing at all for an hour or two every week–just staring out the window while you sip your coffee or tea, sitting on the couch next to your cat or dog and giving him or her some love–just generally deciding that it’s not only okay but desirable to turn off the machine that is your brain for a while, and let everything catch up. It’s like taking that day off after working out with weights: the real gains come from letting the body repair after stressing it.
What if our brains need the same treatment? What if the real gains–in creativity, in productivity, in mental agility–come from working the sucker, then deliberately laying off it for a while?
Just something I’m throwing out there. And something I tried this week to good effect, I might add.
Enough of my own long report–what about all of you? What supersweet things have you done for and given yourselves this week?
Technorati Tags: The Friday List, Self-Care, Self-Pampering, Pampering, Simplification, Slowing Down, Proper Shoes, Outside Magazine, Ed Viesturs Is So Ever-Hot, Kelly Slater Too
September 14th, 2007 at 5:16 am
I volunteered for both of my kid’s classes at school. I received an email asking if I’d like to be a “home helper”. From home, I’ll sort book orders, help create classroom folders, etc.
I’ve felt horrible that I have a 3rd grader and a 1st grader and have never been able to volunteer at school because of my little monster that doesn’t begin kindergarten until next fall.
The little monster with the sense of humor at Target.
September 14th, 2007 at 5:17 am
that would be kids’
September 14th, 2007 at 5:52 am
Robin, I love your two “nice things” today! We get Outside magazine, too, but I just like to ogle the models.
My nice thing…and you’re going to laugh, and I swear that I was going to write this before I read your post…is that I tried the Boot Camp class at my gym. I have the opposite problem from most Type A’s. I can get into a mellow rut. Yoga and spin…what I’m comfortable in. So I tried this totally outdoors class, and it was like recess. Well, kick-butt HARD recess, but there’s nothing like doing pushups in the dirt to make you stop and smell the flowers that you’re squishing.
September 14th, 2007 at 5:59 am
Last night we went and saw Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell me recorded at a local university. That was a very special treat, and the beginning of my husband’s Birthday Week.
I can’t say that I did this for myself, but we also found out yesterday that we won tickets to see J.K. Rowling at Carnegie Hall when she’s there next month. (I wrote it all calmly, but inside I am !!!!!!!!) I guess entering was doing something nice for myself, because it turned out we won!
September 14th, 2007 at 6:48 am
How awesome, Kari! Congrats.
September 14th, 2007 at 8:35 am
Sara, no way! How cool! Did you love it? Will you be going back?
KARI! TICKETS TO SEE ROWLING!! Now that’s HUGE. Congratulations! And good for you for even entering your name. Please come report here after you go to that. I’m so happy for you!
Heather, your post about your sweet little monster at Target was hilarious. For anyone who missed it, here it is.
September 14th, 2007 at 8:56 am
I went to a coffee shop last night and read for an hour while my husband put our daughter to bed. A friend was supposed to join me, but I didn’t think she would, and she didn’t. I had a lovely time anyway, by myself, reading what I wanted to read without interruptions.
September 14th, 2007 at 12:17 pm
Kari, congratulations! I saw Rowling with Stephen King and John Irving last year and it was fantastic. I’m betting she’ll be even better at Carnegie Hall without the boys.
Robin, I wholeheartedly agree with the magazine. Down time is one of my most critical nutrients, and I’m a pretty type-A person most of the time. But that’s why I purposely schedule at least 2 to 3 trips a year to go someplace where there’s nothing to do. My next trip starts next Friday!
My list of good things I did for myself:
- Scheduled a doctor’s appointment I’d been putting off for weeks and weeks.
- Started reading Robin’s new book, which I’m already in love with.
- Bought thinner clothes and set aside another size.
- Got my hair done. One of my favorite indulgences!
- Started a new blog contest about high culture inside of pop culture. (Anyone else love the Midsummer Night’s Dream scene in Porky’s II?)
Have a fun week everyone!
September 14th, 2007 at 12:33 pm
Alkelda, I’m almost happy your friend didn’t show up. Uninterrupted reading time is so precious!
Nancy, good job on taking yourself away that often. You set a good example. And congrats on going down another size!! (And thanks for reading my book!)
September 14th, 2007 at 12:37 pm
Here’s the thing about those running stores. The problem isn’t the shoes. In fact, the shoes help make the problem worse.
They are looking to see if you turn your foot in or out when you run. DON’T DO EITHER. It is very bad for your knees. This is entirely controlled by muscles, not genetics. You learned to walk and run in a lazy fashion.
When I was 14 I had shin splints because my feet rolled in when I ran, so the podiatrist recommended shoes that provided support. I thought that was stupid and the smart thing was to stop being lazy and allowing my toes to roll in. As a result, my posture has improved and I NEVER have knee problems no matter how much I pound.
I recently went to a shoe store which did analysis and the guy was completetly puzzled that my knees STAY directly over my feet.
Be good to your ankles and knees. Spend some time forcing yourself to not roll your feet in or out. After a while those muscles will strengthen and it will become natural. It will probably hurt or be sore at first.
September 14th, 2007 at 12:48 pm
Great advice, Patrick, but it turns out that I, like you, am perfect. I mean, not perfect in the Space Lord way–who could claim that?–but perfect in that I could basically run in bunny slippers and still have good ankles and knees.
But I agree with your overall concept of not letting the shoe fix you when you could be fixing yourself.
And I’m amazed that you, at 14, had that kind of discipline. No wonder you’re the Space Lord.
September 14th, 2007 at 12:56 pm
But could he survive in my Boot Camp class?
Yes, Robin, it was a blast. And I think I’m signing up for the whole six weeks.
September 14th, 2007 at 1:01 pm
Patrick, I had something similar with my eyeglasses when I was younger. They put a prism adjustment in my glasses so I could see clearly without having to make my eye muscles work to focus. They never told me they did that, until one time the optometrist reversed the prism, and after 6 months of exercising my eyes without knowing it, I went to the eye doctor in frustration over how tired my eyes were. Lo and behold, I had been getting an ocular workout — I told them to take all the prism adjustments away and let my eyes figure it out for themselves!
September 14th, 2007 at 1:19 pm
Lets see I think this week the only good thing I’ve done for myself was finishing your book. Although I decided to /attempt/ To make a cover of what I think your sequal would look like for a http://biblegrrrl.com/nahs/ special project and I usually get kind of exited while doing stuff like that so that’s nice!
September 14th, 2007 at 2:42 pm
I am having an all-around “good to myself” week. I did a lot of writing, a lot of sewing, a lot of cleaning, some yoga, and also had some nice moments with the husb (not R-rated moments, just nice ones!).
Managing all that takes a little bit of discipline, so I cracked down on myself a bit and forced myself to focus on the issue at hand, which was actually very nice in the long run even if it stinks at the actual moment.
September 14th, 2007 at 5:11 pm
I thought about the Friday nice things list last night, as I watched (for the first time, amazingly enough) the Colin Firth version of Pride and Prejudice. Oh, I was doing some mundane work during the first part, but by the end I was just watching. Had to stay up until midnight to finish.
September 14th, 2007 at 5:39 pm
I must check out this Colin Firth/Mr. Darcy guy. It’s been years since I read Pride and Prejudice, and I need to pick it up again too (yet another added to the list). I did see the most recent version with Keira and loved it, though I’m completely with you about the ending, Robin! It felt so inorganic.
Kari, I’m both thrilled for you and a bit jealous in a nice way. (Is that possible?) You simply must give us a report after the experience. What a once-in-a-lifetime chance!
My nice thing happened early but helped power me through a couple of bad days this week. Saturday evening, my husband and I put the girls to bed by 8:00, and I headed to my best friend’s place. Her husband was out of town and their kids already in bed, so we spent three hours chatting together. She sewed, and I began work on a first-year scrapbook for my second child (a bit behind, as she’s nearly six months old). Nothing refreshes me more than girl time.
September 14th, 2007 at 7:26 pm
Kelley, grownup girl time! I agree–so refreshing when you haven’t had it in a while. We all need our fix. But to complete your Inner Girl pampering, you really do need to rent the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice SOON.
Jen, yay for you! Oh, the pleasure of seeing it the first time. But really, you’ll be able to watch it again and again–maybe skip over some of the mother’s screeching parts–because that DVD has the power to make you happy over and over again. And to swoon.
Now, if you haven’t already, please treat yourself to Shannon Hale’s novel Austenland You’ll understand just what she’s talking about with the Firth/Darcy obsession.
Katie, bravo for you! Sounds like an incredibly well-rounded week. I get what you mean, though–making a nice life like that actually takes focus and discipline. But look at the payoff!
Dylan, which one is yours? Is it up yet?
Nancy, that’s just wild. What a weird sensation! (And probably pretty annoying.)
Sara, please do sign up, if only because I want to hear about it. I’m all about vicarious experiences.
September 14th, 2007 at 8:22 pm
Um, Robin? You read a mag that has stories like this??? I quote:
“DOWN, BOY
. . .
Mmm, them dogs is good eatin’. Or so say many Vietnamese, and Steven Rinella is bound to find out if they’re talking crazy or actually on to something.”
September 14th, 2007 at 9:37 pm
Congrats Kari that’s So cool! Have a great time and blog about it later! I have it pretty much done I’m just not sure what to title it like the book title so I’m thinking about it but It’s basically done!
I’m djpdancer on there.
September 15th, 2007 at 1:15 am
I am SO jealous of Kari. Wow.
Thanks, Robin, for the reminder that we need down time.
My nice things:
1) I read this blog. As you said so well, Robin, “there’s lots of great writing to read in this world, and not all of it is in books.”
2) I had a bunch of friends over to play cards.
3) I went to yoga with a friend and then out for coffee afterwards for three lovely kid-free hours of relaxation.
Happy Friday!
September 15th, 2007 at 8:59 am
Yeah, BJ, I know. I could not even look at that article. I didn’t want to see the pictures, read any excerpts–nothing. But other than that, it’s still a great magazine. But yuck.
Michelle, awww! And so glad to hear about all your down time and yoga and playing. Yay!
September 15th, 2007 at 9:48 am
Nancy - i probably should apply the same logic to my eyes. I only wear glasses because my eyes get tired. Legally speaking, I see fine, but if I spend the day in front of a book\computer\tv, I’m pretty much done by about 5:00 pm and I need to take a nap and I’ll probably have a headache.
Eye doctor tells me not to wear them all the time, but I usually do these days.
I won’t wear my glasses today.
September 15th, 2007 at 7:09 pm
I am physically incapable of simply doing nothing!
This week, I worked, rehearsed, listened, supported, pondered, watched, tried, and tried harder.
September 15th, 2007 at 8:54 pm
Patrick, seriously, I’d like to know how that experiment goes.
Little Willow, love that list. That’s a good and interesting life.
September 16th, 2007 at 8:12 am
I booked a trip to Lucerne, Switzerland. We’re going on Tuesday for a couple of days…only four hours by train from where we are.
September 16th, 2007 at 11:28 am
I was downright wonderful to myself this week: hopping on the unexpected freedom to get over to see my sweetie on Thursday and reading your book on the trip over! I finished it on Friday morning and loved it so much. We’d a great time too - some editing work on his WIP, hanging out in coffee shops and the Oxfam bookshop, and taking two friends to this lovely yarn shop where the other knitter and I drooled and fondled to our hearts’ contents and the two non-knitters - both YA/children’s book authors - sat on the sofa and talked happily.
Now just got to find time to do posts about the book and everything else!
September 16th, 2007 at 12:58 pm
I do need to get to Austenland, Robin. I think I’ll definitely relate. I also have an urge to re-watch Bridget Jones’ Diary, and see Colin Firth as a Darcy substitute.
September 16th, 2007 at 7:25 pm
Judy, Switzerland! Lucky! All that green countryside, all that cheese–mmmm. Have a great time!
Lady S, thanks for reading my book! You are definitely the only European who has read it yet, as far as I know. Thanks for extending my book’s map! And how lovely your trip sounds–not only time with your sweetie, but also coffee and conversation with friends. Excellent way to treat yourself.
Jen, for sure re-watch Bridget Jones! Now that you’ve seen the BBC version of P & P, you’ll appreciate the casting of Colin Firth as Mark Darcy so much more.
September 17th, 2007 at 10:57 am
Experiment made me tired, then I got a headache.
September 17th, 2007 at 10:30 pm
I just finished watching “Jane Eyre” with Toby Stephens as Rochester. I am still ever devoted to Colin Firth’s Darcy, but hem hem, Toby Stephens is worth checking out in “Jane Eyre.”