The Challenge: Find a place to sit quietly for ten minutes. Listen for at least one sound that you would not have normally noticed.
Kim:
I decided to sit on a bench in a nearby park, which overlooks an open field. It is a very peaceful place. I’ve gone there before to sit before but this time was very different, it was sans my iPod. There were many obvious sounds — cars driving by, the far off sound of vehicles on the highway, birds, dogs barking, more dogs, more birds, more cars…then I heard it: the THUMP of a basketball against the backboard….THUMP. It was very faint and seemed to be far away, but it was a very distinct sound and upon hearing it I was immediately whisked back to my driveway growing up on Shady Lane. All of the games of PIG and HORSE…all of the missed shots. That sound was very familiar to me. It’s funny, had I heard the “swoosh,” I don’t think I would’ve been “whisked back.”
Jason:
I like going on walks. In my estimation, running is only good for those times when you’re being chased by a puma. But pumas are pretty fast, so even then it comes up useless.
Anyway, I usually take a walk in the morning, and there is a little park in the neighborhood behind our place. I decided to sit there for a while. At first I could only hear the annoying din of “worldly” sounds: the hum of distant city traffic, a jet flying overhead, a garbage truck making its rounds. Eventually, I started to notice the squirrels playing in the brush nearby. And then I heard the birds. In the beginning, there was only one generic “bird” sound, but it wasn’t long before I could start to make out different species. Three, maybe four unique bird calls (including a Northern Cardinal?) arranged themselves in a chorus that heralded the coming of spring.
It reminded me of how easy it is to get caught up in the world; in the stresses of life. But if we can sit our butts down for ten minutes, a whole new world emerges right from under us. The happy songs of the birds gave me a feeling of peace, and reminded me of the time when Jesus said:
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life…Consider the birds: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
The birds did seem pretty happy about things, and as much as I enjoy walking, I was happy that I took the time to just sit.
Dark Room Confessionals:
Bonus Video: Kim | Jason
So, who was most creative with today’s challenge? Who went beyond the comfort zone and put the biggest hammer on Adultitis? Who did a better job of capturing the spirit of childhood, Kim or Jason? Cast Your Vote!
Tomorrow’s Challenge: Audio Sneak Peek
My dreaded task…two words- cold calls. How in the world do I make cold calls more fun? Well, the first thing I did was I taped an artificial flower (my favorite — the daisy) to the end of my pen. This added some fun to the notes I wrote throughout my calls. I also made up a little game in which I kept track of what type of calls I had. I took a long strip of paper and drew a line down the middle. It was a race. For every good call I drew a heart in the happy row. For every bad call, I drew a heart in the sad row. I used hearts because of Valentines Day. It was fun, but I have to say that it wasn’t SUPER fun. If anyone has any other ideas on how to make cold calls more fun, please let me know.
I asked him to explain for me about his style of martial arts. He called it “extreme martial arts.” He said that in the 80’s with the Karate Kid movies martial arts became more popular. His style combines some of his acting and stunt experience involving entertainment and it also combines some acrobatics with martial arts. I asked him about the choreography of the Power Rangers. Is it all choreographed perfectly and how long does it take to learn it? Jason shared that for the TV show they would get on set that morning very early, choreograph the scenes for the day and then shoot the scenes the same day. For the live performance shows he would do for Power Rangers, the moves were choreographed farther ahead of time. They would try to “mix it up” here and there to keep adding harder moves and to add variety to their performances. Jason also shared that the talent in Hollywood pales in comparison to the talent in the Karate schools across the country. The teachers in his classes are some of the best talent there is out there.
On 
My “find” totaled $0.99. As you can see it is a glow-in-the-dark eyeball bouncy ball. There is something magical about bouncy balls when you’re a kid. Maybe it’s their unruly and unpredictable nature. Maybe it’s because it’s one of the only cool prizes in the gumball machines that you can afford as a kid. I’m not sure but I think it definitely serves as a product that captures the spirit of childhood. Jason and I actually went into the dark bathroom to see how it glows. Boy, did that bring back memories.
Two words: silly string.
Today as Jason and I walked to the car together I put my arm around his shoulder and invited him to walk “like The Monkees” with me. Then on the way home from church I stopped at the grocery store so that Jason and I could each pick out a doughnut. I always loved stopping for treats when I was a kids- whether it was ice cream from Dairy Queen, gingerbread cookies from the bakery, or a Frosty from Wendy’s. Little treats were always such a big deal as a child. Who am I kidding? They still are.
Normally, when I think of a routine, I normally don’t think of weekends, which is when this challenge fell for me. But it didn’t take long for me to realize that I have some morning routines that happen each and every day, whether I’m working or not. I decided today would be “opposite” day.
My word was “dowdy.” It has two definitions: shabby/ not neat and old-fashioned. I managed to squeeze in a few “Not too dowdy” phrases, as if to say “Not too shabby.” I have to admit I didn’t do a very good job in remembering. I usually tried to incorporate the word into my language shortly after Jason used his word. (I’m trying to be honest here.) However at dinner I used it very appropriately when referring to something being old-fashioned. So, I was able to use both definitions. I know that I am not one to use new words, so this was very different for me today and quite honestly I had a hard time remembering to even do it.
My word today was entrechat. What??? Exactly.
I am happy to report that we have had some very sunny days here in Madison recently. So, I had that in my favor today as I filled 8 glasses (2 wine glasses) with colorful water. I lined them up along my window seal by my desk. I had a very colorful desk, with the sun shining through the many colors. I really enjoyed looking at the light and different reflections throughout the day as the light and colors moved to different parts of my desk. Dropping the food coloring into the glasses brought back some great memories of dyeing Easter eggs, making play-do and most recently teaching our “Color” unit in Kindergarten (the kids would ‘experiment’ with color mixing using eye droppers and colored water.) I really don’t want to put the glasses away.
Jason:
I immediately thought of this shoe slide that is a part of the playground near Madison’s Vilas Zoo. I would’ve loved this as a child! It reminds me of something similar that I experienced when I was little. The McDonald’s that was in my hometown had a big Ronald McDonald car in the seating area, which actually had two built-in booths. I always hoped to sit in “the car” when we went there. I can only assume that kids would love to go to this park because of the “Old Lady’s Shoe.”
I would say that 
We took our nieces there last weekend for ice cream and I was waiting for the youngest’s head to explode due to sensory overload. (Speaking of ice cream, they also have a $38 sundae called the Sparkled Kazoo that boast 32 scoops of ice cream and sparklers for decorations.) I particularly enjoy the tables, many of which have detailed shadow box type displays — some with movable parts — which add a taste of nostalgia to the menu. Within the tables pictured here are old soda bottles and candy.