30 DAYS; 30 ADVENTURES
Whether you are a CEO or a garbage man, chances are you fall into the same routine each day.
You take the same way to work; talk to the same people; eat the same food. Reporters might be the exception: I have flown a fighter jet; been in a crack house; visited Death Row; and interviewed a CEO on his corporate jet, as well as a little old lady at her kitchen table in Cabrini Green. But how do you add the spice to life if you don't have that kind of opportunity?
Debbie Mudd has an idea. She is a writer for the marketing company ARC Worldwide in Chicago who felt bored in her daily routine. She is on a quest to do 30 things in 30 days that she's never done before.
"I felt like I was treading water in every aspect of my life. It felt like I was standing still," Mudd said.
So she kicked off her adventure on Labor Day with a trip to the nude beach in Mazomanie, Wis. "I wondered why. Do they just want an overall tan? I'm still unsure. Is it liberty?" Mudd asked. "It was cold that day so people started putting on shirts, but no pants."
Her missions come in all shapes and sizes:
Daring: A friend drove her through Bucktown and Wicker Park where she mooned people. "Having eye contact first can send a malicious message [with your moon]," she learned.
Dangerous: She toured on a Segway and nearly ran over a group of Swedish tourists.
Gross: She ate an Irish breakfast of black pudding (made with pigs blood) and white pudding (other pig parts) at the Grafton. "It's not on the Weight Watchers menu for a reason."
Weird: She wore Chinese bamboo vinegar detox patches strapped onto her feet. "It helps you remove toxins and combat fatigue," she said. "It worked but looked disgusting [from all the stuff it sucked up from my feet]."
Friendly: She took a "Hi" Holiday where she said hi to everyone she saw. Only one-third said "hi" back.
Still in the planning stages: She plans to work at a soup kitchen and possibly sing at the "L." Her project will conclude Oct. 2, possibly at Yom Kippur services (she's Catholic.)
"I've always been a person who worries what others think. I'm the overthinker," she explained. "But doing this, I'm understanding that it's no big deal. No one cares."
Mudd hopes her 30-day project will be a breakthrough in helping her achieve new goals in life. She plans to write a book about her experiences.
I plan to help her cause by bringing her on "WGN Morning News" to give me a neck massage while I read international headlines ... or perhaps Paul Konrad could use her as a stepping stool so he can reach Michigan's Upper Peninsula on his weather map.
I am full of ideas:
-pogo sticking through the first floor of City Hall, dressed as Jesse Jackson
-perform redneck haiku at the town board meeting in Whiting Indiana
-jump a kiddie pool filled with jello on an old Huffy thunderroad.
Mudd's strategy is extreme, but insightful. Trying new things can provide a new-found confidence. I don't recommend mooning your boss or eating pig blood sausage, but at least taking a journey outside your comfort zone presents new adventures and new opportunities to learn