This is going to be fun, fun, fun. No matter where you are sitting while reading this you will want to get up and participate. For today's entry I will follow my oracle. To create an oracle, we need three things...
First, we need a question we want to address. My question. Around what topic should today's creative idea be centered? Now, what's your question? What should you make for dinner? Where should you and your colleagues go to lunch? What should Friday's Fun-in-the-box-Friday activity be? What, once and for all, should Cristine use as party favors for her husband's golf tournament? Stop now and decide on a question. Go ahead. It will be fun. Incidentally, if you work, you will be the hit of your next meeting when you bring this idea along.
Second. We need a way to generate a random piece of information. The operative word here is RANDOM. After all, if you and your family, your staff, or your colleagues employ similar decision making techniques with each situation then you are bound to come up with similar solutions. One way to unleash your creativity is to employ different approaches to decision-making.
Ok, we're going to take a time out here to actually help you acquire your random piece of information. I used this activity once when training college students to think more creatively about program development and promotion. We were sitting in a large auditorium. I happen to be sitting in Starbucks right this moment. Wherever you are it will work. Ready?...
Stand up and take (insert a number 1-10) steps to your (appoint a direction... forward, backward, north, south, left, right). Touch the item closest to you. Identify the first letter of the item you touched. Determine which number - 1-26 - of the alphabet your letter is. Point to that number of objects in the room you are sitting. Determine the first letter of the last thing to which you pointed. What letter does it start with? Pick up the book closest to you. Open to any random page and a word starting with that letter. THAT IS YOUR ORACLE! Needless to say, I made up the prompts. They could be anything and in any order. Think MadLibs.
Here's how mine played out... Stand up and take 3 steps forward. Touch the newspaper. The first letter of newspaper is "N" - the 19th letter of the alphabet. I pointed to a chair, table, picture, magazine holder, bulletin board, apron, bottle of syrup, espresso machine, barrista, pastry, CD for sale, Starbuck's logo, sugar packet, stirrer, mug, woman writing letters, computer, bag of coffee beans, and door. The first letter of the 19th item is "D." I opened up my book and (Free Prize Inside by Seth Godin) and DOOM is the first word I saw starting with the letter "D." So... "Doom" is my oracle (Oh, how I wish I could cheat and pick a different one, but that wouldn't be fun and it wouldn't help illustrate the usefulness of trusting an oracle). P.S. There are two "o"s in the word, so I think it was fated.
Third step. We need an attitude open to interpreting the resulting random piece of information. Why would I have landed on the word doom? Am I doomed? Is my blog doomed? Doomed makes me think of gloom. Is that because it's raining outside or because I've been in a funky mood lately? Hmmmm... mood is doom spelled backwards....
That's it. Today's idea will be about creative (substance-free) ways to improve your mood! My sister shared with me when she was in town this past weekend that she gets herself out of a funk by changing one small thing in her routine. It could be something as simple as reversing the order in which she gets dressed. I've been thinking about her strategy since she left, so maybe this was meant to be. Some things that I try are...
- Wake up thinking about the one thing I am most looking forward to doing that day (mailing a package, meeting someone for lunch, reading the next chapter in a book, trying a new recipe).
- Slip off to a bookstore and pull a random book off the shelf looking for some meaning behind why I selected it (or it selected me, as the case may be).
- Buy a favorite magazine and make a date with Ben and Jerry to curl up and read it page by glorious page.
- My friend Melissa insists on embracing her bad mood by assigning whole days as f#@! days. The goal... use the "f" word at the beginning of every sentence.
- How about you? What do you do?
I'm dying to know what questions you posed and what your oracles turned out to be. If willing, I'd love you to post them.
Signing off until tomorrow when I use "u" to uncover the uniqueness of "U'...
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7 comments:
Good morning! I am currently sitting in my living room (wishing I was at Starbucks like you) thinking about the fact that I am due to start a new job at a different daycare on Monday afternoon. However, I have not yet heard from them about what time I should be there, what room I will be in for sure, etc. I have called and left messages for them to call me and have gotten no return. Leading me to my question of..."Did I make the right decision to leave my current place of employment for this new daycare which is closer to my home and will save me money in gas?"
Now for my oracle...I picked the number 5 and chose to walk forward 5 steps. I landed upon a pillow on the couch in my living room. P, from pillow, is the 16th letter in the alphabet. The 16th item I chose in the room was the rug on the floor. I turned a page in my book, The Dance of the Dissident Daughter by Sue Monk Kidd, and saw the word "remained" first.
Uh oh...maybe I should have just remained where I was! Guess we'll find out for sure if my oracle is right come Monday afternoon.
Okay, I'm going to start with mood. My favorite advice came from an anesthesiologist just before I was to be put under for surgery. I expressed my concern of being sick from the anesthesia. He said, “Just take deep breaths and think happy thoughts.” When I felt sick after the surgery, I calmly laid back, took some deep breaths and thought about the beach. It worked. Whether I’m sad or angry it usually helps. Now, when that just doesn’t seem to do it- using the F-word and using it a lot always makes me feel better.
Finding my oracle went like this. I chose the number 3 and to the left because that’s my only option. I landed next to a credenza. Letter C- 3rd spot in the alphabet. I pointed to a chair, a painting and a desk. D. The only book I had around was the Dictionary! Now…should I aim for the D’s and be completely confused? Closed my eyes and landed in the S’s. Scanned the page and the first word starting with the letter D was degree.
I have a degree. Do I need another? God, I hope not. Degree Deodorant. Do I stink? I use Secret. Should I try Degree? It’s currently 70 degrees outside. There are 6 Degrees of Separation. Will I meet my next “true love” from 6 Degrees of Separation from Claudia? There are degrees of burns. When I looked it up in the dictionary the definition that rang with me was: a step or stage of process. What process am I currently in? Oh! Well, that led to me something that I won’t share but do feel a little enlightened by the discovery that it is a process and doesn’t have to be done all at once. :)
Deep breaths, Happy Thoughts.
LOVE IT!!! Thanks cspgradstudent and Cheryl. That was fun to read. Anybody else?
I'm typing this as I do it...
My question is whether we should invite my ILs to purchase a house with us (there would HAVE to be a separate apartment, Nanny suite, MIL suite).
I choose L for obvious reasons to those that know me, the 12th letter in the alphabet. I like Cheryl must walk to the left. Okay I'm back and after only six steps I was against the wall and staring at my Fish philosophy fish. F is the sixth letter in the alphabet, maybe it was fate.
I'm pointing to six things and they are (bandana, clock, star, monitor, picture, lime). The sixth item is Lime and begins with an L.
The closest book to me is a book about Thomas Merton, I'm turning to the 12th page and looking for an L word. Liberation.
Hmmm...not sure where to take that.
Would having them move in be liberating or is it liberating to live hours away?
Then again having them move in might be liberating from my fears. When contemplating a move of any sorts fears arise...mine are of leaving my ILs behind and of financial issues. If they moved with us they could assist with the costs of a new home and we wouldn't have to leave them behind.
I guess really I should focus on the best L...Lucky. Lucky that I have ILs I would even consider having move in with us and Lucky that they would pick up and move if that is what we want them to do.
Now I guess I just need to make a decision.
Anonymous, Maybe the fact that you found the word liberation in a Thomas Merton book is an added bonus to your oracle. Maybe you can delve deeper into the pages of his book for added insight into how Merton might have applied the concept of liberation to this situation.
I choose to believe there's a reason to you found the word in a Thomas Merton book - not Dr. Suess, Pasarella & Terrenzini, or anything else tucked away on that bookshelf of yours.
When I'm in a funk or not-so-great mood, I force myself to look at the positive! I figure it would be easy to dwell on the reasons why I'm in that funk, but instead try to force myself out of it by looking at the good in my life. I once heard from a friend about a journaling idea....at the end of each day write down 5 things/people that made you smile that day. My friend called it her gratitude journal. It helps keep me grounded in the moments when I am most lost in my own misery.
I am sitting in my bed room completely in awe of the thunderstorm outside. I have to admit my addiction to your blog has filled the creativity void left in my life since I am not in a classroom this semester. My current question is if I should pursue a position in special education or in regular education, as I now currently have both opportunities available... I chose 6 steps, my lucky #! The 16th thing I pointed to was my fan. I then opened up the closest book, Jimmy Buffet's A Salty Piece of Land. The word I find is "friend." I'm really not sure what that means, but maybe time will tell. I have a good friend who is also applying for a regular education position at the same school so maybe this means that I need to ask a friend or collaborate with a friend to find my best answer. Time will tell I suppose :) Thanks for the fun activity!
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