“Live as if you were to die tomorrow . . . learn as if you were to live forever.”
~Mahatma Gandhi
When all of the “have to’s” of your life start feeling overwhelming, schedule a block of time on your calendar and go on a creative excursion. If you feel like having company, you could invite a few of friends to come along to enhance the experience.
I have a couple of friends that I’m very close to. We regularly get together and do something out of the ordinary. One Fourth of July, we drove way out in the boonies and lit sparklers; grown women, danced around celebrating like little girls. We thoroughly enjoyed attending an Abba Mania concert, singing along with every song.
An especially memorable excursion was when we attended a Hare Krishna Singing Bowl Concert. One friend was especially enthusiastic and purchased beautiful clothes from India for herself, her husband, and her daughter to wear the evening of the concert. We went early enough to get in line to have a brass bowl placed above our heads and feel the vibration and sound it made as it was struck in such close proximity. Many large crystal and brass bowls were “played” along with many other uncommon instruments throughout the night. Everyone who attended brought a yoga mat, a few pillows or cushions and a blanket. We were invited to watch the musicians or just close our eyes and meditate during the performance. It was an extraordinary experience.
Here are some suggestions for creative excursions you might want to try:
- Antique shop
- Bookstore
- Chocolate store
- Concert
- Dance performance
- Farmer’s market
- Flower shop
- Ice cream parlor
- Live theater performance
- Make and take ceramics
- Make and take jewelry
- Massage
- Movie
- Museum
- Specialty store
- Sporting event
- Symphony
- Yoga
- Zoo
- etc. etc. etc.
There is great value in taking the time to do things that bring you joy.
Whenever I return from one of these outings, I feel so revitalized! Going back to my regular routine always seems to be easier since I know that whenever I start to feel stressed and overwhelmed again; I can simply schedule my next creative adventure.