Tuesday, July 29, 2014

541 - 547 Fun Things to Do!




541 - Take a series of photographs of the sunrise.  These are some of the photos I took in Ocean City, Maryland last week.  Every morning I got up to greet the sun.  It was a terrific way to start the day.

542 - Try a week, or even a day, without TV.  You might be surprised at how much time it frees up and what other fun things you can do instead.

543 - Name your Super Powers and let them shine!  We all have things at which we excel -- kindness, lovingness, and compassion are just a few.  You could even start developing a new Super Power to your own advantage and for the benefit of other people.

544 - Take an interesting course online.  There are all kinds of courses available.  Some of them are even free and often you can go at your own speed.

545 - Get your car detailed every once in a while.  It's fun to have an interior that is spotless, just like when you first got it.  If you have an older car, a detail will revive it's spirits.  If you don't want to pay to have someone super clean the inside and/or outside of your car, grab some car cleaning supplies, paper towels, and some cotton swabs and go to town.

546 - Celebrate!  Many occasions can be happily celebrated with a lot of fun and fanfare.  Some balloons and crepe paper streamers make for a great celebratory environment, and you can make signs, have a cake, drinks, and other refreshments.  Once my Dad refused an invitation to our house to celebrate his birthday because he didn't want a lot of fuss.  I promised him it would be low key, and he agreed to come.  So I had a cake that said, THIS IS NOT A CAKE, and had the neighborhood kids come over to sing happy birthday.  He actually relaxed into it all and had a great time.  Thank heavens!

547 - Honor a memory in a tangible way.  Once, when I was having a rough time, my friend, Sally, told me, "Carol, you exist in a purple globe of love!".  That was absolutely the most spirit lifting thing she could have said to me.  Soon after that, I was at an arts and crafts show and saw some gorgeous purple round glass ornaments, so I got one for both of us.  It's a wonderful reminder of our friendship and the way we reach out to each other.

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

529 - 540 Fun Things to Do!


529 - Pick some fruit at a local farm or orchard.  This is my grandson, Nate, who recently went strawberry picking with my other grandson, Andrew, my daughter, Maribeth, and me.  We filled four buckets of strawberries on our fun expedition.  We had enough for ourselves, and to give away, too.

530 - Save your ticket stubs so you can review them whenever you want to remember the good times you have had.  This is particularly effective when you are feeling a little low.

531 - Take photographs of old buildings in your town before they get torn down.  Everyone's area changes every now and again, and having photos of buildings that were once significant in your life can be very interesting.

532 - Make a list of smells you love.  Here are some of my favorites:  old books, popcorn at a theater, Jergen's hand lotion, onions being sautéed in a pan, clothes when they first come out of a dryer; a newborn baby, Chanel #5, lemons being squeezed, the smell in the air after you have been cleaning, a homegrown rose, gasoline, and the smell of home made fudge.  What are some of your favorite smells?

533 - Write a note or love letter in invisible ink.  Then you will have the fun of explaining what they can do to read it!

534 - Buy a pair of red cowboy boots!  Wearing red cowboy boots makes any occasion special.

535 - Get a variety of fun return address labels.  This is also a very thoughtful and unusual gift.

536 - Attend Little League baseball games.  Even if you do not have a child or grandchild playing, it is really fun to watch the boys and girls as they try their best on the field.  Anything can happen!

537 - Buy a really good paper cutter.  They are not very expensive and are very handy when you need a straight cut or have a lot of paper cutting to do.  I don't know how I would exist in this world without mine.

538 - Get a pen pal.  In these days of so much electronic communication, it is fun to get a personal letter in the mail.  Getting to know someone, especially from a different culture, is a fascinating endeavor.

539 - Go to a drumming circle.  Most drum circles have extra drums and other percussion instruments if you don't have your own.  Being in a drum circle is very powerful, calming and relaxing.  There are drum circles in most communities.

540 - Participate in a murder mystery event.  This is where one or more murders take place in front of your eyes, and then you track clues to see if you can figure out who the murderer is.  Actors portray the characters in the murder mystery.  There is a fun sense of anticipation and camaraderie at these events.  There are even murder mystery games you can buy to play with your friends.