Post by Sharon
This photo (above) of me and my clique of outsiders from ninth grade in the 70s says it all. We didn't know what was special about us - yet. It took time to define who we were away from the pressures of painter's pants, rugby shirts, pick combs and platform shoes. We could spend a day together doing nothing we could put on a to-do list and everything that satisfied us, like discussing boys, deciding on what ice cream to get from the Good Humor truck, whether the jeans were too highwater in length....
As middle-agers/baby boomers start to move into new phases of life, away from the dog-eat-dog business sector and into independence and retirement, we come to know who we are again. And what matters.
The simple things are the first utter fascination. We could get lost in a day off (giving ourselves no guilt for doing so) and rediscover what's around us all the time and we never stopped and noted.
Here's some great ways to get your simple focus on -
Put on music from the 50s, 60s, 70s, or 80s. Remember the things that played at the public pool in summer - for me it was Paul McCartney and the Wings and Elton John.
Light a candle when you bathe. Turn the lights out. Let the candle flicker. Scent the water with bath salts. Lay your head back and breathe.
Head outside to the garden. Take some macro close-up shots of your plants, upskirt them, give them selfie shots - be creative.
Pull out a deck of cards and play solitaire or build a card house.
Sing. Put on a Carly Simon or a Journey song and hit those notes, let the emotions out, control your breath, feel it to your soul.
Spend a day in pajamas. Leave a message you are busy. Don't answer the phone, charge it in another room.
Have a tea time. Make little crust-less sandwiches and a pot of tea and focus on enjoying it rather than reading or watching TV while ingesting.
Make the bed and then lie on top of it. Daydream. Forget the world is outside the door.
Sit outside in the open and close your eyes to feel the breeze, to smell, to hear the sounds.
Make funny faced pancakes -
Get a friend and fold a piece of paper to do some table top football.
Call a friend from your youth. Discuss the old days. End the call by telling him/her that you are very proud of what they've done with their life. Set a date to see each other again.
Simple things really involves, pushing away TV, cell phone, computer and other distractions and actually participating in the five senses and your soul's desires. Get creative. Spend a day reacquainting yourself with nature, friendships, good food and music.
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