Goodbye 2020
As 2020 fades into the past. . .
Imagine that your doctor has given you a prescription for bringing in the New Year: “Play more.” Hmmm. Here’s how I’d put this advice to the test:
- Unstructured time: no technology, no screen. No, I’m not kidding. Yes, it’s really possible.
- Time in the great outdoors. Not on your tractor. We are still in the unstructured time zone. Snowshoeing is the go-to for me. I can head out the back door. No planning necessary. No driving, No dressing for town. Just me at my own pace, the hush, and the woods.
- Reading for fun. One of my favorite books is Bill Bryson’s laugh-out-loud adventures in A Walk in the Woods, or what happens when a middle-ager and his dodgy friend decide to tackle the Appalachian Trail. Have a supply of granola bars handy.
- Playing cards, cribbage, dominoes, Hanabi—great family fun! Even the most cynical teenager will get pulled in.
- Cooking. Yes, I know. You have had it with having to get something on the supper table. Forget supper. Make pumpkin whoopie pies.
- Singing. I love to sing, but mostly my goats get the benefit. They think I sound great, and I do with the milking machine going in the background. The shower works, too, for background noise. Try it and feel your heart opening and your spirit soaring.
- Listening to music. There are songs that pick me up no matter how foul my mood is. The ones that get you up and dancing are the best. A personal favorite is “Down in Birdland,” by Manhattan Transfer, played really loud.
Your doctor is on the right track. Make your own fun and games list. After all, you gotta lotta livin’ to do and a whole new year ahead.
Best, Ellen