Why You Need a Nudge Notebook, Seven Straight Days of Hiking the Same Mountain & a Closed Ecosystem for AI
Weekly Literate Love: August 8, 2025
Happy Friday!
I’ve done something pretty radical this week: I’ve hiked the same mountain for seven days in a row…and counting! Let me explain:
Last Saturday, my daughter and I went on a simple hike (almost a mile up and almost a mile down), but it was NOT simple to me. I was huffing and puffing, grunting and groaning and truly struggling.
And I was MAD.
Why? Because I get up at 5am everyday and move my body. Some days, it’s yoga. Some days, it’s Pilates. Other days, it’s using weights. I shouldn’t be THAT out of shape walking up a mountain.
But I was. So, what did I do?
I vowed to climb that darn mountain EVERY SINGLE DAY until I could make it to the top without dying.
As of this morning, I am at climb number seven and I am truly amazed at what has happened across the span of those seven climbs. I am breathing easier, my legs aren’t as shaky and I have more mental clarity that usual.
I. FEEL. GOOD.
I took on a challenge and I’m actually doing it. I’m following through, showing myself that I am capable and truly enjoying nature in a way that I never thought I could at 6am on a mountain by myself.
I’m not sure how long I’ll keep this up and I have no desire to climb a taller, steeper mountain, but I am truly enjoying this unexpected experience and will keep it up as long as it feels good.
Tell me…would you climb the same mountain days and days in a row? Just me?! =)
Keep reading for your weekly dose of literate love and click the button below to share with a bookish friend!
Happy reading & writing!
Stephanie
What I'm Reading:
Here are a few books I’ve read that are worth sharing this week:
WHERE THE WILDFLOWERS GROW by Terah Shelton Harris
Holy bananas, this book. From the very first page, I was IN IT. I have read a lot of books, expected those books to change me, to touch me, to impact me in some way, but never have I ever read a book that had such a hold on me and made me want to FEEL in ways that surprised me.
From visiting a flower farm and attending the Airing of the Quilts festival in Alabama to truly uncovering all the layers of myself and the acceptance and love that requires, this book left me wanting. Wanting more of my memories, wanting more of my relationships, wanting more of my dreams, wanting more of my hopes and especially, wanting more of myself.
These words have become part of me. In the book, Leigh talks about her first life and her second, a line drawn in the sand by a significant event. For me, my first life was before reading this book. Turning the final page on it starts the second. There’s such growth, transformation and love in this book and it seeps into your skin as you hold the pages close.
Reading this book was like dancing a slow dance: back and forth, then and now. Shiloh and Cary thought they were destined to be together until they couldn’t get out of their own way, say what needed to be said and get together already. =) Years later, they meet at a friend’s wedding and all of those feelings are sparked again. But is it too late after missed chances, divorces and all the changes that come along with it? You’ll have to read it and find out.
TURNING TO BIRDS by Lili Taylor
Lately, listening to birdsong calms me and reading this book calmed me, too. It’s part memoir, part informational text and combined, it’s a love letter to the beauty of birds and the role they can play in our lives and wellness. And while the book might explicitly be focused on birds, it’s about the power and beauty of noticing in general, something we all could be reminded of from time to time.
What I'm Writing:
This week, I’ve been experimenting with AI in a new way, thanks to Brett Larkin. If you’ve been around for a while, you know I’ve tinkered with using AI for meal-planning, coming up with catchier podcast titles and even recreated myself as an action figure toy. But, this use comes with risks and lately, I’ve been more careful about when, where, how and why I use it, being very mindful of the threats it poses and the weight it places on the environment. But this week, I listened to a podcast episode that opened my eyes on how to use AI in a true, authentic and meaningful way through a closed ecosystem
You see, without setting certain permissions on AI, every time you ask it to complete a task for you, it sources the entire Internet to do so, often bringing faulty, misleading or even down-right wrong information into play. But, you can set the permissions to operate on a CLOSED ecosystem (rather than open) by ONLY using what YOU tell it to, making it a true partner rather than a robot doing all the work. But yes, it’s still a robot. =)
This was eye-opening for me and helped me grapple with the things about AI that bother me the most, except the stress on the environment. If you listen to the podcast episode, I’d love to banter ideas back and forth!
What I'm Learning:
I’ve said it before, but I’m turning into a bird person.
Wait. Scratch that. I AM a bird person. =)
As I was reading TURNING TO BIRDS by Lili Taylor, I came across a new word: biophilia. This refers to the “innate human tendency to connect with nature and other living things” and involves more than just connecting with birds, but connecting with the natural world and with each other.
This might have to be a new one-word theme in a coming month. What do you think?
What I'm Loving:
Em and Friends created the most beautiful box of intuitive journaling pencils. Pick a pencil, read your prompt and start writing. I want these AND I want to make my own!
Here’s the recipe for the Hummingbird Cake that was so popular in SLOW DANCE by Rainbow Rowell. Mine will be gluten-free and I can’t wait.
If you can crochet, I will pay you to make this for me. Please.
Keep scrolling for my latest podcast posts and updates!
Podcast Highlights From the Last Week:
How Journaling Deepens Reading: The Nudge Notebook
On this episode of the Get Lit(erate). podcast, I’m talking about a practice that sets restorative reading apart from ‘regular’ reading and could potentially be the one thing that changes your life: the nudge notebook.
Come listen as I share a simple, yet powerful, definition of restorative reading, discuss the key elements that differentiate it from a ‘regular’ reading life and invite you to consider paying attention to, tracking and acting on the nudges you receive from the pages.
From My Private Substack Community…
Every Sunday, I post additional content for my private Substack community to bring even more literate love to our lives. Here’s what I shared this week:
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🩷 Join my private Substack community for themed book calendars, bonus posts, book clubs and events each month!
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For a new birdlover, have you seen Maria Popova's Almanac of Birds card deck? It's gorgeous and her poems strike right in the heart of the heart.
Congrats on the consistent climb -- one step at a time! Birds are a wonderful hobby, you can enjoy them wherever you travel in the world -- try The Thing with Feathers podcast, it's lovely! The Brett Larkin AI episode was so thought-provoking! I'm going to investigate this idea -- very intriguing!