101 Things To Do Instead of . . .

Being Depressed, Stressed, or Alone

Doing Drugs or Drinking

Golden Time of Day - Sunset 

Watch a beautiful sunset ~ Watch a happy video ~ Smell a flower ~ Draw a picture ~ Take a bubble bath ~ Look at old photos ~ Listen to music ~ Create something new ~ Go to the zoo ~ Learn something new ~ Read a good book ~ Collect something, rocks, seashells, stamps ~ Learn the names of the stars and planets ~ Get together/ZOOM with friends ~ Play games ~ Enjoy a hobby ~ Play a sport ~ Smile ~ Make someone else smile ~

Jace smiling @ Herman Park

~Finish what you start ~ Solve a riddle ~ Jump rope ~ Gather seashells ~ Whistle a tune ~ Feed old bread crumbs to birds ~ Read a poem ~ Fly a kite ~ Do a favor ~ Surprise someone ~ Play catch ~ Join a club ~ Sing ~ Give a hug ~ Get a hug ~ Talk to friends ~ Wish on a star ~ Run through a sprinkler ~ Go camping ~ Do a jigsaw puzzle ~ Memorize a song ~ Help a friend in need ~ Build a sand castle ~ Find a home for a stray animal ~ Do good deeds ~ Have lemonade on a hot day ~ Blow bubbles ~ Dance ~ Exercise ~ Climb a tree ~ Run through a field of wild flowers ~ Volunteer ~ Tickle a baby's tummy ~ Play with your pet ~ Cheer someone up ~ Roll in the grass ~ Snuggle a stuffed animal ~ Swing on a swing ~ Eat ice cream ~ Walk barefoot in the sand ~ ~ Wade in the ocean ~

Jace wading in Galveston Bay

~Play with a little kid ~ Do Cartwheels ~ Go bird watching ~ Give a gift ~ Play some hoops ~ Kiss a parent ~ Learn how to juggle ~ Watch the clouds ~ Start a garden ~ Learn a language ~ Play an instrument ~ Go fishing ~ Make a gift ~ Hike ~ Set your goals ~ Phone a friend ~ Have a picnic ~ Think happy thoughts ~ Ride a bike ~ Write to friends ~ Do your best ~ Count your blessings ~ Make a poster ~ Make someone laugh ~ Improve your score ~ Listen to birds ~ Learn to cook ~ Skip rocks into a lake ~ Play in the park ~ Go swimming ~ Window shop online ~ Care for plants ~ Keep a promise ~ Trade cards ~ Do magic tricks ~ Make a model ~ Go Bowling ~ Keep a journal ~ 

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 Photograph things you love ~ Do better than the last time ~ Brighten someone's day ~

What is your favorite thing to do instead of...?  

Things to do for Fun or Profit

Hobbies: 

Enjoy Your Hobby just for fun, or turn your hobby into a profitable business!

 

10 Categories of the Most Popular Hobbies  

Arts and Crafts – creating functional and decorative objects for purposes such as making candles, ceramic plates and executive toys, jewelry making, making porcelain figurines, glass sculpture, quilting

Collectibles - collecting art, paintings, antiques, beautiful dolls, memorabilia, scale model cars and trains, vintage wine, unique cars, stamps, old coins, plates

Outdoor Activities - gardening, photographing nature, bird watching, fishing, train and plane spotting, horse riding, biking, camping, diving, rafting, mountain climbing, treasure hunts, hiking

Culinary Activities - cooking, making fruit preserves, bread baking, baking and decorating cakes, making cookies, making dumplings and pasta, bar-b-queing meat

Dancing and Music - ballroom dancing, line dancing, hip hop dance, flamenco, belly dancing, tap dancing, karaoke singing, learning a musical instrument

Sports Activities - golf, martial arts, figure skating, skiing, sailing and rowing, gymnastics, darts and snooker, bowling

Indoor Activities - sewing, embroidery, knitting, quilting, painting and decorating, plumbing, reading and writing

Paper Crafts - making Paper-Mache crafts, origami folding paper crafts, making paper flowers, making paper lanterns, making boxes and folders, scrapbooking

Cultural Activities - theater, concerts, cinemas, eating out and dining, museums, festivals and fun, pub crawl

Travel - golf trips, fishing trips, Theatre breaks, city breaks, cruise packages, beach vacations, ski vacations

Photo of my "vacation in paradise" ... just a hop, skip, and jump down the road!

Many people, while enjoying their favorite hobby, have turned their hobby into a business and supplement their retirement income by writing books about their hobby or selling their products locally or on the internet. eBay is a good starting point.

For example, if you like to go golfing or on cruises you can write about your golf travels or the places you've visited during your cruise.    

You can also start your own classes to teach others the skills you learned from your favorite pastime. If you enjoy baking cakes or making fruit preserves, you can sell your products in your local markets.

This is a great way to earn additional retirement income while having fun.

Do you have a hobby? Did you have one as a kid? What is it? What is your favorite fun thing to do?

Thursday Thoughts

Nature's Therapy

In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.  ~John Muir

“Nature is the art of God.” ~Dante Alghieri~

Nature's Therapy . . . according to and, 

© by ~dellgirl~

     Better than a doctor

     Sweeter than a 5 lb. bag of sugar

     Intoxicating without the hangover

     Inspiring when quietly observed 

     Cheaper than a bottle of Xanax

     Calms frazzled nerves

     Relieves anxiety without side effects

     More powerful than ANY medicine

Just relax, breathe deeply, and SMILE!

My Walk in Nature!

Saturday Night Humor

Have you heard any good jokes lately? Tell us all about it in the comments section. I could use a good laugh right about now. Go ahead...

Make Me Laugh!

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"YOU NEED A SHORTER PASSWORD."

While he was visiting, my father asked for the password to our Wi-Fi.

“It’s taped under the modem,” I told him.

After three failed attempts to log on, he asked, “Am I spelling this right? T-A-P-E-D-U-N-D-E-R-T-H-E-M-O-D-E-M?”

By: Sharon McGinley, Talbott, Tennessee

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Did you hear about the 83 year old woman who talked herself out of a speeding ticket by telling the young officer that she had to get there before she forgot where she was going?

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A blonde, a brunette and a redhead all escape from prison. They hear the cops coming so they each climb a tree.

The cops come and shine flashlights in the trees.

They shine a light on the tree with the brunette and she goes "whoo whoo" like an owl.

They shine the light in the redhead's tree, she goes "Tweet Tweet" like a bird.

They shine the light on the blonde’s tree... "Moooooo".

I love a good joke! What about you?

Click Images to view Source

Energizing Foods

A Healthy Well-Rounded Lunch w/ Whole Wheat Roll

Are you feeling sluggish? Or do you just feel downright tired, overstressed, overwhelmed, plain old exhausted? If you do feel that way, you already know where I'm going with this. 

In case you are wondering why I ask these questions, the answer is simple. A few weeks ago I began feeling extremely tired and exhausted. It was over and above my usual “dead-tired” feeling. I was exhausted to the point I felt as if I would pass out sometimes.

It did not take long to realize what was wrong. I had “been-there-done-that” before, back in 2011. I was doing too much, not truly relaxing as I should. I was not sleeping well, and I definitely was not eating the way I should. Truth be told, I was not taking good care of myself.

I did not want to end up sick the way I was in 2011. Therefore, I quickly got myself together and set goals for doing better at taking care of ME. First, I eliminated everything from my to-do list that was not imminently important. I also made a point of relaxing to refresh throughout my day, then dropping everything and going to bed at a decent hour.

I made a concentrated effort to eat healthier. That started with not skipping meals. It also meant eating well rounded meals instead of my usual intermittent nibbling throughout the day. I built-in healthy energizing snacks instead of chips and junk food for in-between meals.

A healthy energizing snack w/ orange juice

My first task was to research Foods That Give You Energy. Then I compiled a short list of those energizing foods. So let me get right to the list for those who need to scan quickly and move on.

Here is my List of Foods & Beverages That Energize, in no particular order.

-Water

-Coffee

-Tea
-AppleJuice
-Orange Juice
-Greek Yogurt, low-fat cottage cheese

-Dark Chocolate
–Popcorn

-Nuts: cashews, almonds, walnuts

-Coconut: coconut water, fresh or dried coconut
-Whole Grains: oatmeal, brown rice, whole wheat bread
-Fresh Fruits: apples, pears, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, bananas
-Citrus Fruits: oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits

-Lean Meat:  chicken, turkey, pork, beef

-Shrimp
-Canned Tuna (white or light) 

-Fatty Fish: smoked salmon, albacore tuna, mackerel
-Chicken Noodle Soup 

-Eggs

-Leafy Green Vegetables: kale, spinach, romaine lettuce
–Beans and Peas

-Sweet Potatoes
– Avocados

There are many more foods and beverages that give us energy. This partial list contains only those items I have tried first hand and know that they work.

Let’s wrap it all up. If you are feeling overly tired, sluggish, overstressed, overwhelmed, and totally exhausted, start with these tips. Change your lifestyle, your diet and your eating habits. Use this list of energizing foods to change your life. You will feel a lot better within a few days.

This process worked wonders for me and I am extremely I am happy to have some energy again. Give it a try, you might like it. You’ve got nothing to lose and a lot to gain.

Happy Re-Energizing to you! 

Recover Your Health with Clean Eating

The Golden Time of Day

Sunset from my back yard - 10-21-2013

Watching a beautiful sunset is relaxing, strangely mesmerizing, like having my own piece of heaven right at my finger tips.

From a comfortable chair, I could spend hours gazing at the amazingly beautiful colors of the clouds and the sky. This is ‘The Golden Time of Day.’

The awesome beauty of an evening sunset is but one of God’s precious gifts, a natural stress reliever. Experiencing this celestial phenomenon is so calming I literally feel the burdens of the day float away like feathers in the wind.

During the quiet stillness of this picture perfect scene, witnessing this mind-altering miracle, I realize… life just doesn’t get any better than this.