On Monday evenings, I take a watercolor class at White Bear Center for the Arts.  Here is my version of this week’s class project: a painting of a water lily. Our instructor Lisa Fertig creates the original painting, demonstrating how to do it in segments for the class. When she gets to each stopping point, we paint it on our own paper.  I am amazed that although everybody in the class sees the same original, each of us creates our own version which is very different from the others. All are beautiful in their own way!

The program introduced us to Joseph Nye, professor at the Harvard Kennedy School.  He describes certain people with charisma as having a “personal connection”, and ability to “project warmth and personality.”  Aha, so it is a communication thing, and I am all in favor of clear and positive interpersonal communication.

But I wonder if charisma something genuine if it can be quantified and taught?  Professor Alex Pentland from MIT and his team say the have found a way to measure charisma. (Why didn’t I become an academic researcher of charisma? It sounds like fun and probably pays well, too!)  What their device actually measures is whether a person is energetic. The show also features John Neffinger who runs workshops to teach people how to have charisma. He says the key factors are “strength and warmth”, as projected by a smile and body language.

What does this all mean to me?  I believe it all starts with what is inside, so it is up to each of us to let the energy and love of the universe into ourselves – and develop our own qualities such as humor, adventure, and integrity that define our character.  Then, when we use that energy from within to smile, look somebody in the eye, to listen and react to what they have to say, we are doing so from an authentic center.  It is essential to make this kind of connection with other people.  Character or charisma? My vote: have both, but the character comes first.

I have taken the first step to write my life’s next chapter:  I resigned my job this week.  Am I crazy? In this economy?  At my age?  I am not ready to retire.  But I have enough self-awareness to know when I am in a situation that is not right for me.  I am ready to change direction.  And I am well aware that I am more fortunate than many because I have a partner (my wonderful husband) who supports this move.

As I pursue job openings that look like a good fit for me and my qualifications, I will spend my time working on my own projects:

• Develop myself as an artist, doing the coursework in Julia Cameron’s book: The Artist’s Way, A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity (see Resources section).
• Research what is needed to self-publish a Kindle book.  I am writing a guide encouraging midlife women to live with pizzazz!  I’ll provide more information as this project grows.
• Revitalize and rework this blog to become the platform for my new thoughts and endeavors.  I’ll remove some old blog entries and write some new ones.  Some of my previous posts will be revised to become part of my book – along with a whole lot of new material I’ve been working on.
• Tackle some home projects that have been put aside for too long – organize and declutter my home, cook healthy meals, commit to financial planning, and more.
• Lest this become too much of a “To Do” list, let me add the more unstructured ways I want to spend my days: painting, dreaming, writing poetry, making connections with other people – in person and online, and learning – always learning.

What will you bring to your 2012?

When Bill Geist came on the air, I saw the frozen ice and snow surrounding him and said, “He’s in Minnesota.” I was right. It turns out he was reporting about the feud between Embarrass, Tower, and International Falls over which Minnesota town gets the coldest weather. They all get VERY cold – the official state record is -60 degrees F.!

Believe it or not, some of us Minnesotans wish this weekend would have been a little colder (but not record cold, please!) We are currently having a January thaw, complete with rain and freezing rain. Yesterday as I drove home from a neighboring town my car was pelted with slush balls falling from the sky. The roads were very icy. I would have much preferred colder temperatures and precipitation in the form of soft, lovely snow.

This is a round-about way of saying that this is perfect soup weather! I have vegetables on hand to help me eat healthy in 2010. Putting them together in soup is a delicious way to get a nice variety of flavors.

Today I cooked a Southwestern-style chicken and bean soup. When my husband ate it his eyes lit up and he told me to write it down. I did, and I’m sharing it with you (recipe below). One of the best things about a throw-together soup like that is, other than a few of the basic ingredients, you can put in whatever is on hand. I could have added corn or various other ingredients. But it turned out good just as it was.

In fact, I’m making soup again tonight. We’re having supper on TV trays as we watch the Vikings play (and hopefully beat) the Saints in the playoff game. This time I am adding leeks, tri-colored mini-peppers, and grated cheese to last night’s potato soup for a new take on it.  I’m baking bread, too; using one of the recipes from one of my favorite books Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. Is there such a thing as too much soup? I haven’t reached that point yet! Enjoy!

Southwest Chicken & Bean Soup

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts – cut into about 1” cubes

About 3-4 cups total fresh vegetables: chopped onion,  thinly sliced tri-colored mini-peppers, minced garlic, cut pieces of sugar snap pea pods

2 cans low-sodium chicken broth

1 small can tomato paste

1 can black beans

1 can kidney beans

Dehydrated chopped onion

1-2 packages taco seasoning

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper (hot; season to taste)

Fresh spinach (optional)

Sauté the chicken pieces in olive oil in a large pan for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken is opaque and nearly cooked through. Add the chopped vegetables and cook a few more minutes, until chicken is thoroughly cooked and vegetables soften. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook for about 15-20 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

Optional: While soup is cooking, wash & shake in a colander to dry: 2-3 handfuls fresh baby spinach. Break up coarsely into soup bowls. Spoon the hot soup mixture into the bowls over the spinach; let it set for a minute, then stir. This cooks the spinach without losing the nutrients. I learned to pour any kind of soup over spinach from a friend of mine who does it all the time.

Garnish soup with grated cheddar cheese. Serve with tortilla chips.

Do young girls still read this book and feel the connection to her? Do teachers assign it and librarians recommend it? I hope so. Through this book, young people get a sense of what it was like to be persecuted for being Jewish in Europe during World War II.

Another person in the book who made a big impression on me was Miep Gies. She was one of a few people who brought food and sustenance to the group in hiding, choosing to risk their own lives by doing so. Miep was Anne’s friend and lifeline.  A few years ago, I was excited to see that an elderly woman being interviewed on television was Miep Gies, still alive and telling the story of what happened so many years ago.  Miep said she was not a hero, but I respectfully disagree. She helped to show the world what an individual could do; her life influenced young people who read about her actions and her kindness. She was a role model above and beyond the usual meaning of the term.

Sometimes we get reminders that the horrors of World War II are not that far away in time or place. Miep Gies passed away yesterday. Farewell to Anne’s extraordinary friend, a brave woman.

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-01-11/miep-gies-dutch-woman-who-found-anne-frank-diary-dies-at-100.html

I know what I need to do. First step is to break the sugar addiction. Yes, addiction – a physical and psychological craving for sweets. It doesn’t help that the holiday season is full of cookies! Treats that should be moderate and occasional have become too frequent. If I don’t make a break from too much sugar, the results can be dangerous. Time to bite the bullet, or at least the vegetables and whole grains! I love good food, so this shouldn’t be a hardship, just a change.

Getting back to my water aerobics class at the YMCA is also at the top of my list. I missed a few classes lately when life became too hectic, and boy, do I feel the difference in my body when regular exercise is missing! I love this activity, so I am looking forward to getting back on track.

Three years ago I made some changes in my life that helped me to lose some weight, which I wrote about earlier in this blog. Keeping off the pounds has been a struggle, but I have mostly managed to do it. My success is due to knowing what my motivation is (I never want my knees and feet to hurt again like they did before) and making good food and exercise choices I can live with and not feel deprived. Losing or keeping off weight truly is about thinking healthy. It is a mindset that can be cultivated; it is about feeling satisfied without over-indulgence.

It is time to revisit the action plan to lose weight that I devised a few years ago, and update it with a few tricks I’ve learned along the way. My body and spirit will thank me!

Some of my friends are the children of people I’ve known for years.  They were once the little kids playing in the background at our get-togethers, but who are now adults themselves.  I guess they are my second generation friends.  It is enjoyable to see them come into their own.

I want to bring to your attention the exquisite photography of my second generation friend, Ashley, a gifted artist, who is receiving national recognition for her work.  Visit her blog at: http://bottlebellphotography.blogspot.com

People are often so defined by their work, and get their personal sense of success from it, that it can be a blow to their self-esteem to lose a job.  That is one reason that I am taking action during this temporary out-of-work time to stay connected with people and to keep learning new things.  When I went back to college a few years ago, I discovered that the most rewarding benefit of returning to school is the sense of accomplishment and confidence that comes from it. 

I have been taking writing classes at The Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis.  One of the classes was The Art of the Blog, and you are reading a result of that class right now.  I am also writing about the travels my husband and I have taken over the years for my current Essays on Journeys class. I also joined a local writing group. This is just another stage of my ongoing midlife transformation. I find that this investment in myself helps to keep me engaged in interests other than just looking for work, and enables me to meet new people with similar interests.   I am confident and enthusiastic about what is going on in my life.  That is not only good for the way I feel about myself now, but I am pretty sure that when the right job comes along, my future employer will pick up on my positive energy and want to hire me.

I spent the past two days at a workshop on “Creative Job Search” (sponsored by the State of Minnesota) and was very pleased to receive helpful suggestions and strategies.  Besides the valuable information about resumes, interviews, online searches, etc., I especially appreciated the facilitators’ positive approach to midlife workers.  One said that many employers are passionate about 50+ workers because they bring a background, a reference point for making vital decisions, with them into a job.  As older boomers retire, there will be gaps in knowledge, and experienced workers are needed to bridge those gaps. I am happy to hear that!  I am enthusiastic to find a job that is the right fit for me, and for an employer who needs what I can bring to the table.

 I watched her on public television, not only in her later years – she hosted other chefs on her show in the 1990’s – but earlier too, when I was still at home growing up in the 1960’s.  I remember my mother making beef bourguignon in that era.  Some of Julia’s techniques must have rubbed off on me too.  Today I like to create dishes with a roux base, and sometimes I cook with wine (a little for the pot, a little for me).

 Julia’s life story is fascinating.  During World War II she worked for the O.S.S. (which later became the C.I.A.) She had her own midlife transformation: she learned French cooking in her late 30’s, worked on the classic cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking in her 40’s, and started teaching the masses on her first PBS television show at age 49.

 By the way, according to Laura Jacobs’ article in Vanity Fair, Julia loved the 1978 Saturday Night Live spoof of her starring Dan Ackroyd.  I laughed until I cried the first time I saw that skit, and still crack up during the many times it has aired since then.  Now I am looking forward to a new movie, Julie and Julia, starring Meryl Streep as Julia Child, due out next month.  In the meantime, to quote Julia, “Bon Appetit!”