After reading the last two entries about my life before adopting simpler practices, you might think I was so busy that I never got time for rest and relaxation. Rightly so! We did take the occasional trip in the summers to visit a city where DH was working. But with 4 youngsters in tow I wasn't keen on making those trips very often. Instead we found ways to entertain them closer to home or at home. We had the (in my naive opinion) required gaming system, satellite tv, swimming pool, camper, vcrs, dvd players, and YMCA memberships. All those things that entertained but were expensive to maintain or required purchasing upgrades and supplies.
The first thing to go in this new life was the swimming pool. Oh my gosh- the money we spent on chemicals for that thing and the hours I spent cleaning it- what a relief! The satellite system went shortly after that. No more flipping through a hundred channels before proclaiming "there's nothing on tv." Next we cancelled the Y membership. I've forgotten how many times I drove 20 minutes to walk around an indoor walking track and then drive 20 minutes back home. The camper still sits in the backyard. But the tires have gone bad and won't be replaced until we find a REALLY good deal on them. So what does someone living a simple life do for fun? There's so many things!
These are some of the ways we find to unwind and recharge or to get a thrill in no certain order. As they pop into my head, I'll share them with you. Keep in mind that, although we are living simple, we haven't turned our backs on modern technology as long as it doesn't exceed a very reasonable budget and doesn't cause more anxiety than it relieves.
Almost every day I set aside 10-20 minutes for the sun. If I miss the sunrise, I try to catch the sunset. It's different every single time! Once I made it a habit, I can really tell a difference in my attitude if I miss it for a day or two. The time it takes to watch the sun do it's thing is like a mental vacation. Coming up or going down, is a masterpiece!
We still enjoy camping and a few years ago we added backpacking to the fun. It's challenging to find a trail, study the conditions, plan supplies, and doing the actual hike. But waking up in a tent beside a lake, sipping coffee by a campfire, listening to squirrels scamper away, are all perks. When we can't get away from the homestead to camp, you might find us out in that old camper in the backyard, especially if there's a rainy night when we're yearning for the sound of the rain on a metal roof. That's the best sleeping!
We still have a tv and occasionally enjoy a good movie or tv series. Instead of paying for all the channels we don't want, we have a Netflix subscription and Amazon Prime videos (remember the free shipping I wanted?) These are perfect for us because we're not tied to a network schedule or a movie goers expense. We can make our own snacks and the dog gets to watch too. She loves tv night!
Since DH is still on the road most of the time, and without 4 youngsters to pack and plan for, I do go to stay with him from time to time. One of the ways we amuse ourselves in other cities is by geocaching. We have geocaching apps on our phones and are quite happy spending time together on a treasure hunt. We even take off on mini trips around home to spend an afternoon looking locally.
This past year we both decided to learn to play the guitar. I invested in a year of lessons at the local music store and shared what I learned with DH. We aren't ever going to be concert guitarists but we enjoy sitting around in the evening strumming and singing for our own pleasure.
DH likes to challenge me to board games. Here lately we've been playing Mancala. I usually let him win (we don't need to share that with him though, do we?)
We also have a lot of fun cooking together. I like to hunt for new recipes on the internet and we pick one to try our hands at. Because of the layout of our kitchen, we bump into each other a lot. DH can get rather messy so I follow him around with a dishcloth. We usually end up kissing or laughing before we get the dish made but we've also created some lovely meals. When we're finished eating the grand experiments, DH will declare which ones are "keepers."
So there's a few of the everyday simple things we do to have fun. What would you add to the list?
