A list of life suggestions for when we lose our way
Read “The Little Prince” under the stars. Tear off your shoes, throw down your umbrella, and jump in rain puddles — get muddy. Often.
Walk barefoot on the earth, feel the soil and grass and terrain between your toes. Sit on benches. Watch the birds. Admire sunsets. Be found in the woods. Once in a while, for no reason at all, eat your favorite candy from childhood.
Capture fireflies on warm summer nights, in Mason jars, then let them go all at once. Eat watermelon off the rind, a big piece. Pick blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and taste them all before washing — while they are still warm and sun-kissed.
Pay attention to the flowers, they bloom just for you.
Hike unmarked trails. Watch for shooting stars. Name the constellations. Read Kipling, Keats, Tennyson, and Whitman out loud on front porch swings.
No less than once, every couple of days, find a river, a stream, a brook, a creek — and listen.
Stretch out on a grassy knoll. Surround yourself with hummingbird feeders. Soak in the scent of rainstorms.
Let thunder remind you how vast and mighty and wondrous the world is. Go rainbow hunting.
Howl at the moon, just for the hell of it. Take a long drive, windows down, favorite music blaring, and sing along.
Eat tomatoes from the vine. When it all becomes too grown-up, watch a child eat ice cream. Eat a candied apple off the stick.
Jump, fully clothed, into a body of water. Return to films that lit up your imagination when you were young- renew your sense of awe in the fantastical. Re-read stories that once whisked you away on grand adventures.
Make homemade doughnuts. Watch old cartoons.
Make and decorate a cake for no occasion at all — then cut yourself the biggest, most beautiful slice.
Journal your thoughts and musings on life — someone WILL want to read them, no matter how mundane they seem to you.
If you live alone, have at least one plant to tend to, a reminder of the needs of other living things.
If you ache for affection and there are no humans to be found to meet this need, adopt a dog — they love to snuggle and give lots of love. They make very good friends.
When you need an ear, a voice to respond, dare to reach out to someone. Often our needs go unnoticed because we do not make them known.
Have a REAL Coca-Cola and dry roasted peanuts (in the shell) as a snack.
Make fried green tomatoes after watching the film “Fried Green Tomatoes” after reading the book “Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe” by Fannie Flagg.
Write a letter to a friend, put it in an envelope, address it, apply postage, and mail it off as a surprise. Sending and receiving handwritten letters is one of life’s greatest pleasures.
Go to where horses graze, park, and watch. Try a banana and mayonnaise sandwich. Take time for good, long soaks in a warm bath.
When your heart is broken, look for others in need of help. It’s a good distraction from the pain.