Life's a Challenge

Life's a Challenge...

and I don't mean that in a bad way, at all.  But I have been thinking about how I haven't done ANY of my Sixty by Sixty challenges in ages.  The List remains incomplete and unused.

BUT.  I have challenged myself a couple of different ways recently.  So maybe my challenges are just going to be more internal for a bit rather than activities or places.

My most significant challenge has been asking for, bargaining for and finally getting a much needed pay increase.  It's taken a few months and means I will have to change employers (although not actual jobs which is confusing but that's the way it is...) but it also means that not only am I getting a pay increase, but so are the two nurses that I work with.

The view out my work window.

A good reason to love my job.

I realized at my yearly review that I better be happy with the standard 3% increase as no one was going to say "Great job! We need to give you 20% more than you are already making."
At least not unless I asked.  
And I was NOT happy with 3%. I work my tail off, I'm a great employee and I have gone above and beyond this past year. So I said, no,  don't think so, I need more and outlined why in an email. A lot of back and forth but finally they came up with an agreeable amount.
Lessons learned?
Know your value.
And the one I always tell the kids: If you don't ask, the answer is always "no".


The other thing that I have had to challenge myself with is driving in the snow. I mentioned in the last post how Colorado was kind to me last year. Not so this year. There have been a few good snows, some ice and tons of cold weather. Over New Year's Eve I drove to Denver to stay with my friend Diana. It snowed all day on New Year's Eve, with about 2 or 3 inches accumulating in Denver.  BUT! At the cabin the inches of snow were piling up. Fifteen of them at least.

Snow from Diana's deck in Denver. 

An inch or so....manageable.

On New Year's Day I had to make the decision... drive home through the passes or through the canyon? Two ways to get from Point A to Point B and I had to weigh the pros and cons of each.  I've had scary drives going both ways. Drives that involved cars going off the road, cars going into the river, cars going into the mountains. Part of me wanted to just say "Eh, I'll wait and drive back to the cabin on Wednesday when the snow has melted." But my time off is limited and I needed to be brave.

Snow at the cabin.

Deep.

The mountain pass won and guess what?  It was a piece of cake. The anticipation of the drive was WAY worse than the reality. Roads were clear, snow packed in a few places, but the most dangerous part of the trip was pulling out of the Stop and Rob after getting gas. By the time I arrived home there were close to 18 inches of snow on the ground but my driveway had been cleared by the neighbor.
Lesson learned?
Like Nike™ says "Just do it."

Food. Salmon and brussel sprouts to be exact. Both über popular and neither my faves. I have tried salmon  many many times in an effort to acquire a taste for it, but nope.
It's ubiquitous.
People like to make it for meals. It's good for you. Ugh. I just couldn't.  But like a good girl, I've kept trying.

Finally, at my favorite restaurant in town, I tasted my companion's maple glazed salmon and then tasted again.  And again. Surprise! It tasted good.  Have my taste buds changed? Not sure. Have not had the opportunity to try salmon again but I'm willing to give it a go.

An acquired taste, I think.

But these were pretty good. 

Same with brussel sprouts. They really DON'T taste that great but I've had them prepared creatively enough that I can tolerate them. I recently had Brussel sprouts with bacon, parmesan, and cashews. YUM. Maybe it was the bacon that elevated them. Isn't everything better with bacon? They were so yummy that I made Brussel sprouts for dinner last night . Mine had balsamic vinegar and honey. Again, they were pretty yummy.
Did my taste buds change? Maybe.
Lesson learned?
Tastes change. For many things. Never quit tasting. Or experimenting.

So. Challenges. Not on a list. But little mountains to climb. And plant my flag on top.

My mountains.

My flag. 

Do You Hear What I Hear????

Do You Hear What I Hear ????  
An Exercise in Listening


One of my favorite blogs, Hollywood Housewife, has been on a challenge a month for 2014. Each month she challenges herself to really do ONE thing and do it well. It's a concept I like. Haven't tried it, but I like it in theory.

The Hollywood Housewife. 

She's originally from Oklahoma which makes me wonder.

What is it about Oklahoma that breeds these great bloggers? 

Anyway, her November challenge to herself was to listen. Just listen. That's all. Not throw in her perspective. Not share what happened to her. Just listen. It's a hard thing for most of us to do. We want to share. We want to hear ourselves talk. We want to throw in how the same thing happened to us.

And of course she found it hard (that's why it's called a challenge) but overall it was worth it and enlightening and all those good things that should come from completing a challenge.

Which got me to thinking about Bunny and her new job. She is a waitress at a sports bar and she told me one night that a guy came in and mentioned his cat had died. This was right after our Maxy Cat had passed away and I asked if she had shared that with him. She said No. In training they were taught to not share. People don't want to hear about her, they want to be heard. Which is very true and also probably why she does very well in tips. And why the chain she works for is very successful.

Sweet Maxy Cat.

May he rest in peace.

And then I started my new job which also came with the same policy. Listen.  No need to share, outdo, or one up the customer. Please don't share opinions on religion, the government, politics of any kind, or anything else beyond the weather.

Of course, people ask questions and conversations get started but I'm working hard at remembering to listen, not talk.

It's a challenge but it is also great training.

Because part of my job is being a barista.

And if you walk into Starbucks or wherever you regularly get your caffeine fix, what do you do? Probably the same thing I do.
Rattle off your request mindlessly in one breath.
"A largenonfatvanillalattewithsoymilk, please."
Or something along those lines.
So I am learning to really concentrate on the response to "what can I get you?"
Because honestly, the first few times I asked that, I was still on "large" while the customer was getting out their money and looking expectantly at me for their drink.

All those coffee options...

please order slowly. 

Thanks.

Listen.
Can you hear what I hear?