V-8 Moments Lead to Change
Preface
(I have had this post in the back of my mind for a while. But I hesitated to write it because it seemed like a senseless topic. Then I remembered that the original reason for this blog was to leave some digital footprints for my kids to follow when my paper diaries have all but rotted away. I don’t care if they know the actor I had a crush on when I was 13(Timothy Patrick Murphy) or that I went backstage at, not only an Air Supply concert but also, a Scorpions concert.
They didn’t know me then. They can’t imagine a “me” before I was their mom.
Of course, I will continue to “enthrall” them with stories of my life before they knew me. However, to have some ideas about my present thoughts and actions and those of the recent past seems more relevant. Granted this post is more likely to have them thinking that I should have started taking my Omega capsules a few years earlier.)
A V-8 what?
When I was a kid there was this silly commercial for V-8 tomato juice. While the exact details are a bit fuzzy, I do remember people holding soda or something and slapping themselves on the forehead for not having chosen the obviously healthier snack. The tag line was “I could have had a V-8”. Though it was a bit on the nose, I was young enough to find it hilarious.
Over the years I have reflected on that ad when I realize something so obvious that I didn’t notice before. However, I don’t slap myself on the forehead.
For example:
The area of the spa where I work has a large teapot. It is one of those large metal contraptions that can hold up to 80 cups. We use it to brew the spa’s signature tea for the guests.
The building in question is three beautiful stories of wood and stone.
When the massages are done the teapot has to be emptied and cleaned. I carry it up to the second-floor sink for washing. Sometimes it is empty and light and sometimes it is full and heavy. It wasn’t until 3 weeks ago it occurred to me that, all this time, I could have been cleaning this appliance in one of the first-floor bathrooms. Seriously, it took me almost 6 years to figure that out. Definitely a V-8 moment.
One more example:
Besides gorgeous scenery and fabulous installations, the spa offers massages. Each of the massage tables has a heating pad that plugs into the wall. When I arrive at work plugging these in and turning them on is one of my very first tasks. That way the pads are nice and warm for the first massages. Last week, in conversation with a masseur who arrived early, I experienced another V-8 moment. While the pads were indeed plugged in, their default heating cycle was 30 minutes. After that, they automatically shut off. Thus, they were no longer warm when the therapists arrived.
Turns out should have also been adjusting the timer. Obvious once I saw it but…
But is it really?
I have had a lot of these moments in the past couple of years. After a brief concern for diminishing mental capacities, I realized that maybe habits, not brain cells, are the culprit.
I have worked at this spa for almost 6 years(including Covid time off). To do my job effectively, I have to seamlessly blend customer service with all of the tasks that I must accomplish on any given day. My job is far from brain surgery but it gets complicated if a certain organization is not maintained. To this end, many of the daily tasks are done without too much thought. Done well, but the same today as yesterday or tomorrow. The habit of going upstairs to wash the teapot was just that…a habit. So was the process for the heating pads. Someone showed me these tasks when I was trained. Without any obvious reason for a change, I just kept doing them in the way that worked.
Stepping out of the box
I am sure there are dozens of tasks that I do at home that could be done differently if I took a moment to think about them. And I suppose this theory applies to actions as well as tasks.
For years I had the same manner of getting my kids to sleep. I was stuck in my “box” of how to do this. Frustration happened when they were “telling” me they were ready for a different way but I was too stuck in my habits to “hear” them. One particularly difficult night I had a flash of comprehension. After which things went much more smoothly.
I suppose a V-8 moment is, in some ways, an invitation to step outside of our boxes and see something from another perspective. In turn, we might discover something new.
After all, we change our clothes, hair, friends, jobs, gyms, hobbies, music, partners, entertainment, cars, homes, etc.
Why not our habits?
