So many times, we have rested our happiness squarely on the shoulders of every one else, but there are little things we can do for ourselves. This morning, I sat on the back porch and thought about all the things that give my mood a lift.
I saw a little book that was titled 2000 Things You Can Do To Cheer Yourself Up. I remember flipping through the pages and smiling at some of the ideas. What if we did that? What if we really did one thing every day just for us? What would happen if we gave our self 10 minutes just for us? What if we gave our self one simple little pleasure? It wouldn't have to take a lot of time or money ... It really is the thought that counts!
You could ...
Start off the day with some sort of exercise: a walk, the treadmill, a swim, maybe, exercise or a yoga tape.
Give yourself a mini-spa! Light a candle and use a scented body wash that you absolutely love. Play some music to calm you down or get you going ... your choice!
Or if there's time, what about a long, hot bubble bath ... I found some bath salts with rose petals in them! Wonderful!
Bed, Bath and Beyond sells fancy towel warmers, but you can do the same thing ... just put your towel in the dryer right before you get in the shower! A warm towel is oh so delicious!!!
When you get out of the shower and dry down, cover yourself in lotion or a nice talc. Whatever you do, take your time. This is your extra ten minutes ... a little gift you are giving yourself!
Sometimes, I pour a glass of juice in my favorite juice glass. The glass is from the 50s and has the cutest little tulips all around it. I have it waiting for me when I get out of the shower on a little tray with my vitamins.
Some mornings, I have a cup of herbal tea or decaffeinated coffee on the back porch. I can hear the birds singing and the river down the hill or the wind chimes. Sometimes, I just watch the birds or read a few pages of a good book or both!
Good books? I got hooked on reading when I was a kid. I LOVE BOOKS! I am usually reading 3-4 at the same time. One for work, one for self improvement, and usually a novel, just to lighten things up. Reading was my life-line in the beginning of recovery. I don't know how much I retained back then, but just the act of reading was a comfort to me.
Reading has a predictable routine. Take one word at a time, one sentence at a time, one paragraph at a time ... turn the page ... one chapter at a time ... turn the page ... one idea at a time ... turn the page ... the character getting in trouble? ... turn the page ... and eventually ... turn the page ... It all works out ... turn the page ... until there is a happy ending! I try to look for one thing in every book I read that touches my heart and inspires me.
I like decorating books and decorating magazines. I like reading books from the self-help section. In fact, I have shelves of books that reflect wherever I was at the time ... I guess I have been trying to figure out where I was for a long time! I also like books that share unusual insights like The Four Agreements, Animal Speaks, Power Vs. Force ... just to name a few. They put these in what they call the New Age section, but they may have been found previously in foreign cultures or philosophy. Guess those categories would have sounded too boring to the latte sipping crowd!
I also like novels ... James Michener books are classic. They take you to other countries you may never get to visit, but after reading one of his books, you almost feel like you have! In fact, he wrote a book called Caravans that is set in Afghanistan. I read it right a few years ago and it gave me an interesting view of a country I had never really thought much about. Sidney Sheldon writes intriguing mystery books. Nicholas Sparks writes romantic stories about real life kinds of people. His stories pull at my heart and remind me of how good it feels to love. I like his characters and usually come away from every book he writes with a lesson learned about myself.
Reader's Digest (remember those old books with 5-6 condensed books) has some of the classics condensed into something I can read in a weekend. I also like travel books, especially ones with LOTS of pictures! Every book has something in it that will spark your own creativity. I have a friend that collects cookbooks. She has closets and shelves FULL of cookbooks! I have another friend who likes to read encyclopedias ... just for the pleasure of gathering information!
(laughing) I got off track for a minute there ... which is easy for me to do when I talk about books! I can get lost for hours in a library or a bookstore ... But let me get back to what we were talking about!
We were talking about doing a little something for ourselves every day ... little gifts of goodness that we give to ourselves ...
I have a piece of cinnamon toast every morning. I love cinnamon toast! My daughter likes to start her day with a bagel. My other daughter likes waffles and jam. My grandkids like pop tarts!
Forget about your "usual uniform" that you wear every day and for today, wear something really comfortable or something that just makes you feel pretty. Spice up what you are wearing with a piece of jewelry or a silk scarf. It will make you feel pretty and when we feel pretty, we are pretty! It comes from the inside! It's not the scarf or the jewelry. It's how we feel wearing the scarf or jewelry!
Maybe, you like hats? I stopped by a coffee shop the other day and there was a lady there in full winter clothes, long black coat, black gloves, black boots and the coolest velvet hat! She had fastened three or four sparkly vintage brooches along the rim in front and it looked amazing! I smiled when I saw her. I noticed that other people smiled too. It was cold and gray outside, and she had found a way to bring some sparkle to everyone's day!
I have to admit ... a cute pair of boots, heels, or even a cute pair of shoes makes me feel pretty good too! If you are wearing sandals, polish your toes nails in your favorite shade ... Hey! Polishing your toenails or getting a pedicure can be one of those little gifts we give ourselves! Why not get a manicure at the same time?
Whoops, I just thought of something that could fill a whole afternoon again, didn't I? Oh well ... turn the page!
If you like to cook, how about baking a cake or cookies? I like making a really good roast (I love to get a beef or lamb roast and cover the roast with a small jar of minced garlic and bake it covered at 300-degrees for hours ... the house smells so good!) or a vegetable casserole or a seafood pasta ... pick something you LOVE ... In the winter, I make a lot of hearty soups, stews or even chili in the crock pot, and let them cook all day. It feels so good to come home with the smell of good home cooking already there.
Speaking of smells that fill our homes ...
Fabreeze has a new home-spray. Sometimes, I make more time by picking up the clutter and straightening things up a little and then, I spray the rooms ... It feels like I have hired a whole cleaning crew with very little effort! Shhh ~ I can't do it every week, but every once in a while ~ There are more important things than a perfect house!
Do you like to sew? Can you crochet or knit? Have you seen the cool yarn they have now? Do you embroider? Can you paint? Have you seen the beads people are using to make jewelry? They sell real gold and real silver beads and semi-precious stones now! Have you gotten into scrap booking? Visit a craft store! I bet there is something you would love to do!
Jigsaw puzzles are fun in the winter! Crossword puzzles too!
I have a crystal candy dish that I often fill up with seasonal candy ... hearts on Valentine's Day, jelly beans at Easter, candy corn on Halloween, peppermints at Christmas, or M&Ms any time else ... I don't eat all that candy myself, but it is my "duty" to make sure the kids are sugared up!
In the winter time, a cup of Cocoa or a cup of Russian Tea chase the chill away. How do you turn a hot drink into your special ten minutes? Wrap up in a thick afghan or quilt and drink it outside on a swing or a rocking chair! Listen to the birds. Watch the wind play in your trees. Breath in the world around you!
I have mentioned birds a few times. I have two or three bird feeders and just as many bird baths. I get LOTS of birds and quite a few pesky squirrels too.
I live in the woods in the country so I have watched deer, rabbits, raccoons, squirrels and even flying squirrels at night! I have seen flocks of wild turkeys, a blue heron, red tailed hawks and song birds of every sort. Did you know that plain old sparrows have the prettiest songs? I think there's a life lesson in there somewhere!
And then, there's always chocolate! The really good, creamy, to die for chocolate. Find your favorite little corner of the world and enjoy a piece of chocolate. Let your mind wander. Or if you can, let your mind just go blank! Let it melt in your mouth.
Did you know if you take a plain old store bought peanut butter cookie and put a Hershey's chocolate kiss on top, pop it in the microwave for just 15 seconds and you have a warm cookie that is oh so delicious ... Heck, make two! They're small!
Sometimes, I play music ... we all have our favorites. Music makes my chores go quicker. Music also makes a quiet meal more special ... Sometimes, I find myself humming through the day ...
There is so much comfort (and safety) in our homes, but there are fun things to do outside our homes. I like to visit home improvement stores. They are always coming up with new gadgets. I find the neatest ideas! I also like to go to card stores. I'm don't always go to buy a card. Sometimes, I like to read cards, just to smile. I have been reading cards and laughing out loud more times than I can count, and a laugh is always a good thing! Of course, I like Barnes and Noble ... and the coffee treats!
I like to fish! I live near a river. I have walked down there and dropped in a line. Sometimes, I catch a few. Sometimes, I don't. I don't keep the fish ... always throw them back. The fun is catching them!
Watching the water roll by with an occasional leaf or piece of wood ... maybe, something more interesting, is calming. Sometimes, I like to just watch the water tumble over the rocks, or I shut my eyes and listen to the waterfall downstream.
I have started carrying my camera again because the sun sets about the time I am headed home and sunrises and sunsets cast the most amazing light and shadows across our world. I have seen the prettiest things and wished I had my camera with me. Well, now I do! I'm looking forward to what I see next!
Looking forward ... In recovery, we spend a lot of time looking back. Then, we begin to see the value in living for today, one day at a time. Then, we get the idea that we can actually do things to make THIS DAY more than just another day to be endured. We can find a way to do something nice for ourselves TODAY. Maybe tomorrow too? If you find a way to give yourself a little gift of time or a simple pleasure everyday ... and you do it long enough ... it will become a habit that enriches your life. One day, out of nowhere, you might even forget about your past, be thankful for today, and even look forward to tomorrow ... We can all get there ...
One moment at a time ... turn the page ... one day at a time ... turn the page ... one week at a time ... turn the page ... one month at a time ... turn the page ... We have to start somewhere ... so for today, and just today ...
Make it a good day!
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