Halloween Spirit

A Boston Terrier Halloween by d70focus

Do you love Halloween as much as I do? For years I’ve been enthralled with the imagination, creativity, and excitement that surround the holiday. Not to mention the idea of free chocolate and a chance for a party. What’s not to like?

Inspiration comes to life in the many unique and colorful costumes created by visionary people everywhere. Fairies, Egyptian kings, and disco queens from decades past mingle with nurses and sheriffs, aliens and even Mickey Mouse. Go to any Halloween party where they’re awarding gifts for the most original, funniest or scariest costumes and see for yourself.

Some of the most inventive and cute ideas in recent years include the “cereal killer,” “smarty-pants,” the ½ angel ½ devil costumes, an early snowman, a milk carton missing kid and more. I’m always impressed with the attention to detail and innovative ideas that go into costumes. Plus it’s just fun.

Thrills have their place too. Jack o’lanterns glow with an otherworldly light, flickering in the darkness. Like gargoyles of old, they are sentinels, guarding our homes from harm. Their fearsome faces terrorize anyone who wanders near. Skeletal scarecrows watch from their post, silent sentries to trick-or-treaters young and old.

From candy corn lights to cackling witches, to motorized hands that grab as you take a treat, the unexpected lurks in every corner. Open a creaking door and walk across squeaking floors into a dimly lit room of shadowy figures. Suddenly all those household repairs you didn’t get around to are now part of the ambiance. How cool is that?

The colors of Halloween are diabolically clever. Midnight black, pumpkin orange, blood red, and gruesome green grab your attention with their vivid colors. There is something compelling and somewhat forbidden about eating food colored in such strange and unusual combinations.

We get a chance to reinvent ourselves on this playful and fun-filled holiday. Always wanted to be an astronaut? Now’s your chance! Want to be an elegant ballerina or a hard-core rock star? You can. Now is the time. You can be a lawyer, nurse or sheriff, or an alien space explorer. The only limit is your imagination.

No matter witch way you slice it, Halloween is a fun, light-hearted and creative holiday wrapped in a unique and mysterious package. So get out there and celebrate. Give in to your fear of looking silly and have a little fun. Use the excuse to let go of your problems and worries for a night. You’ll be glad you did.

New Ideas to Spice up Your Life.

Jumpin’ in the rain by Tony the Misfit

When life gets a little too routine, and each day is the same as the one before you can find yourself feeling restless, fidgety and bored. Here are a few ideas to help you add a spark of creativity to your week and shake things up a bit:

• Go underground. Go back in time through millions of years as you explore the strange and exotic formations of stone and mineral deposits. Transport yourself to a different realm and beat the summer heat in cool cave retreat.
• Take your spouse on a date. Plan a surprise date without your spouse’s knowledge. Go to a show, have a romantic dinner, attend a music concert, go dancing or see a comedy act. Just have fun and spend some time together with just the two of you.
• Wear different clothes. Use bright colors, add accessories like belts, hats, sparkling jewelry, a fancy suit or whatever makes you feel good.
• Escape from technology. Go on a 4 hour cruise and leave your cell phone behind, just you and the gleaming blue sea. Camp in a rustic hut and leave the laptop and organizer at home. With no TV, newspaper or radio, you’ll notice the sweet pine-scented air and hear the birds singing all day.
• Be someone else. Go to a costume party and dress entirely different than your everyday life. Volunteer with a house project and learn skills like painting and carpentry. Or join a community event and help out with decorations or fundraising. Find new passions and skills.
• Do something romantic. Take a horseback ride through rolling green pastures and have a secluded picnic for two. Rent a room by the ocean and make love to the sound of the surf. Go for a midnight skinny-dip or sensual shower.
• Eat somewhere new. Grill outside and eat in the pink and orange rays of the setting sun. Have a meal at the park while the kids run around and tire themselves out. Eat at the beach where the salty sea air stimulates your appetite. Set the kitchen table with your best tablecloth and fancy dishes and have a feast.
• Do something crazy! Is it raining outside? Great! Go outside and do your own rendition of “Singing in the Rain.” (Beware that if you sing as well as dance you may scare away even more people with your voice alone.) Put on some old clothes and splash through some mud. It’s summertime – you won’t catch a cold. Have fun, let loose and just be silly!

Best Theme Parks

Roller coaster and a hot dog by ReefRaff

It’s summertime – and that means the ads for every amusement park from Disneyland to your local zoo is in full swing. So where should you go this year for your getaway? Let’s start with a review of the some of the most popular theme parks in the U.S.

• Disney World, Orlando, FL. One of the top destinations for millions of kids and their families, this has to be one of the top parks for one main reason; its creator Walt Disney.Mr. Disney’s view of a family-friendly, creative and imaginative environment has turned into an interactive, all-inclusive, extravaganza of fun for people of all ages.
• Cedar Point, Sandusky, OH. This park pops up is mentioned over and over.With a huge diversity of entertainment, from water rides and roller coasters to carousels and children’s rides, there is something for everyone.
• Sea World, San Diego, CA.It’s hard to resist a park that gives you an up-close and personal look at creatures you can’t see any other way.Whales, dolphins, seals and more abound at this undersea oasis.Full of amazing sights and even hands-on events, this park is ideal for those who want to see another side of our world – the wet side.
• Busch Garden, Williamsburg VA. With thrilling rides and eye-popping shows, and thick, lush landscaping, you can enter another time and place at Busch Gardens.Beautifully themed “hamlets” include French, German, Irish, Scottish and Italian will delight you with delicious food, souvenir shops and musical performances for every taste.
• Six Flags, CA, GA, IL, KY, MA, MO, NJ, TX.With over 8 parks spread across the U.S., there’s likely one nearby no matter where you live.From animal parks to water parks and everything in between, you’re sure to have fun. Full of characters like Scooby Doo, Bugs Bunny, Superman and Batman, these parks appeal to the kid in all of us.

If you’re unfamiliar with parks in your area, try visiting Theme Park City for a state-by-state list. Don’t miss some of these lesser-known, but extremely fun parks:

• Hershey Park, PA. More than just a chocolate lovers retreat, this park offers water rides, roller coasters, concerts and more.
• Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, TN. Located in the picturesque Great Smoky Mountains, this park offers the award-winning Thunderhead wooden roller coaster as well as a chance to see the ancient crafts of blacksmithing, glass blowing and wood carving.
• Wisconsin Dells Indoor Water Park. How else do you keep the summer fun going all year long? Put your water park inside! No matter what the weather you can float your cares away at the Wisconsin Dells water park.
• Stone Mountain Park, GA. From the thrilling rope-like Sky Hike, to the Summit Skyride with mountain views, take a ride on the Ducks, the super-cool amphibious vehicles, and after a game of miniature golf, enjoy a spectacular fireworks and laser show to end the evening.

For further information, or a burst of inspiration, check out these theme park review sites:

Theme Park Review.com

Theme Park Insider.com

Screamscape – the ultimate guide to theme parks.

An Unbalanced Life.

Colorful drops by tanakawho

Many of us are trying to reach that magical place where life is a perfect balance of work and play, good and bad. Although most of us are probably making steady progress, I offer another solution: an unbalanced life.

An unbalanced life is one where we not only admit our flaws – we embrace them! All of our wacky quirks and strange habits now become our strengths. Let’s say you like making personalized Christmas cards, but you get the inspiration in July. Who cares? Go for it! There’s no real reason not to get those cards done early, and your family and friends will appreciate the time and effort you put into them; no matter what time of the year they were done.

Look for your natural rhythms. Who cares if you like to exercise at 9:00 pm at night? If you sleep soundly and can fit it into your schedule, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it. Maybe you prefer to clean first thing in the morning? As long as you don’t disrupt anyone’s sleep, go for it. What if you like jazz, but your spouse likes country? That’s what MP3 players were invented for.

Instead of trying to fight our nature, we should welcome it openly. If you’re a morning person, do your hardest tasks early in the day when you have the energy. If you hate making dinner every night after work, try fixing 3-4 meals on Sunday and freezing them for the week.

Stop doing things at a certain time or a certain way just because that the way it’s always been done. Free yourself! Be creative and experiment to come up with your own schedule and preferences. Switch dinner for breakfast so you can eat your biggest meal early in the day. Barbeque in the winter and drink hot chocolate in the summer. Let go of other people’s expectations and enjoy your journey.

What quirks, oddities and eccentric behaviors do you enjoy? Feel free to share them in the comment section. Thanks for stopping by.

Give In To Your Whims!

Big Fun by Ernst Moeksis

What do you do when you desperately want to do something you enjoy even though you know you have chores and responsibilities waiting? Do you give in and embrace your passion, or trudge through your to-do list grumbling and groaning all the way?

Give in to those whims! Go re-read your favorite book, dance to the music, or indulge in a favorite movie. Call a friend, go shopping for an hour or take a hot bubble bath. Give in to escape. Retreat into another world, a new environment, a change of pace. Allow yourself a few moments of pleasure doing what you love.

In return, your enjoyment will boost your energy and your mood, allowing you to complete your tasks more quickly and easily. It’s like eating your dessert first. You begin with the best part, and after fulfilling that craving, you receive a happiness high that sustains you through the not-so-fun drudgery still to do.

Of course there are times when we have too many duties and responsibilities, and they need to be done immediately. But whenever possible, we should make time for laughter, joy and entertainment. Schedule it into your day, and recognize the importance of leading a balanced life. Fun is a necessary diversion from the seriousness of life.

A whim is a playful calling of your spirit, saying “Hey, come have some fun, you’ve been cooped up too long.” You might feel an urge to sing, dance, run around outside, play a video game, or play fetch with your dog. You might build a couch cushion fortress with your son, cloud-watch with your niece, or catch lightning bugs with your 4-year old.

Whims are by nature spontaneous and playful, and if you want to stay flexible and adaptable to the changes in life, they are vital. Fun keeps you open to opportunities to fool around and be silly, which is essential if you want to keep a positive attitude in spite of life’s troubles. Light-heartedness keeps the anxieties and complications of life from overwhelming your ability to enjoy the present moment.

So go ahead and frolic in the pool for an hour, join your kids on the trampoline, have a water gun fight with your spouse. Play hide and seek, win at poker with your friends, or go to that free Friday night concert in town. When you feel good, your attitude improves and you will feel happier and more confident. There’s no time like right now.

Tips for Staying Young at Heart.

Are we having fun yet? by Super tourist

No one likes being around a whining, complaining, stick-in-the-mud. So how do you keep time from changing you from a fun-loving, spontaneous thrill-seeker, to an angry old curmudgeon who is unhappy with life and everyone in it?

One answer is to keep the goal of staying young at heart on the top of your yearly resolutions. Happiness is not something that happens by chance, it’s something we have to work at every day. And one key to happiness is not to let the sorrows and obstacles of life drag down your body and mind.

We need to get outside our comfort zone, learn and experiment with new things, loosen up and enjoy daily delights. Here are a few tips I’ve rounded up to help keep an optimistic, big-hearted outlook in the coming years:

• Surround yourself with loved ones. Family, friends, coworkers, pets, and anyone else who fits the bill. Staying in touch with people we love helps us feel included and appreciated. Having a friend helps keep loneliness at bay and gives us a reason to recover faster from illness.
• Stay flexible. In both body and mind. Read, do puzzles, learn a new language or play cards. Try a new exercise or sport, anything from tai chi to basketball to juggling. Strengthen all your muscles for a strong and healthy life.
• Be playful. Find activities you enjoy and do them often. Whether it’s riding a bike, going to the movies or joining a clown troupe. Try something you’ve always wanted to do, like learning to play the violin or taking a scuba-diving class.
• Indulge in occasional luxuries. Have lobster at a fancy restaurant; rent the red Corvette you’ve dreamed of for your weeklong vacation. Stay at a 5-star hotel and get the massage, facial and Jacuzzi included. Or simply eat your favorite dessert or soak in a hot bath to relax. Treat yourself to things that make you happy.
• Be silly from time to time. Go the local playground and don’t bring your kids with you. Play hide-and-go-seek with your grandkids. Watch a cartoon, go roller-skating again, hug a teddy bear and smile. Let your hair down (unless you like pigtails better) and laugh out loud.
• Exercise. Exercise of all kinds makes our muscles stronger, helps us breath more deeply and alleviates stress. The key is to find a style you enjoy. If traditional weight lifting and aerobics don’t do anything for you, think about something else. Try a team sport like baseball, join a fossil club and hike to your destination, or add a trampoline to the backyard. Nothing keeps you young like an active and fit body.

Playing With Crayons.

Crayola Lincoln Logs by laffy4k

I can’t guarantee it’ll work for everyone, but why not give crayons a try? There’s just something about those boldly colored sticks of wax that bring back happy memories. Crayons make us think about the innocence and fun of coloring books and crayon drawings. When you look at them you don’t expect masterpieces of art; it frees you to release your expectations and just have fun. Now isn’t that a great lesson for everyday?

If you’re really lucky you’ll have memories of kindergarten and nice teachers who told you it was okay to color outside of the lines “as long as you do your best.” What a message! It’s okay to fail as long as you try. If only our adult bosses would convey that message once in a while; imagine the spike in creativity that would result.

Crayons are a symbol of playfulness. Sadly such good humor is something that many adults, and a growing number of teens, no longer possess. Playfulness is the ability to put enjoyment into an activity that is dull or boring and make it fun. Take the job of washing the car. Usually that’s a dull, repetitive task, even on a sunny day. But bring a friend, some bathing suits and a long green hose, and you have a hilarious game of “keep the water on your friend, not the car.”

Drawing with a crayon is the ultimate freedom. If your line is a little squiggly you can change it into a flower. If the round face doesn’t have the right flesh tone, you can add a new color on top until it’s perfect. You can turn your mistakes into new pieces of the picture and it still looks beautiful.

For adults this can be a fun toy to distract us from our problems. I used to keep a box of 24 at my desk at work. Every now and then I’d take it out and draw something silly. For some reason that little act would help me feel relaxed and happy. Those bright, cheerful colors will raise your spirits every time. Don’t forget all the choices you have; scented, neon, glitter, and even washable crayons for those who like to draw on those “wall-sized canvases.”

If you are feeling confined, restrained, or inhibited, pull out a few color sticks, some paper and have a little release. If you have a hard time being imperfect, this is the time to practice. Put the crayon in your non-dominant hand (usually your left), and see what happens. You don’t have to let anyone else see the results. Just loosen up and have fun.

Visit Crayola.com

See How Crayons Are Made

Take Time to Enjoy the One You Love

The happy couple by jpockele

It doesn’t matter who you love – your kids, your dog, your spouse or friends. Whoever you love, it’s important to spend time with them. Few things bring more pleasure than spending time having fun with people you love.

Spending time with family and friends makes your days brighter. Every adventure is more exciting when shared with someone else. Every laugh is louder when you laugh together. Whether you share the daily chores or plan leisure activities far from home, just being with each other can heighten your fun.

Our loved ones may know we love them, but nothing shows that we care better than taking a few minutes a day to do something special. It can be small things or big things. We women love flowers, jewels, and the occasional new car. We also love a man who washes the dishes, gives extra-long hugs, and buys our favorite brand of ice cream.

While expensive gifts are great; small things are wonderful too. No matter who you love, there are activities that are just more fun with a friend. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Do a scavenger hunt in the backyard. Use candy, coins and toys to make it more fun.
• Sing to the radio as you do your chores. Dance along if you feel like it.
• Play cards or a video game – winner does the night’s chores.
• Cook a special spaghetti dinner. Non-cooks can order takeout.
• Go to the zoo and make animal noises until you get a response.
• Go out in the sun and make shadow puppets on the lawn.
• Compare the ways your friend reminds you of Garfield, Snoopy or Dilbert.
• Go for a drive and let the passenger make the choices of where to turn.
• One person can dress in stripes, the other in polka dots for a day out.

Who cares what you do? Just pick something and have fun. Be creative and start now. Your loved ones will thank you for it. :0)

Imagination is power.

Roald Dahl’s characters Uploaded on March 12, 2006 by javic

"Imagination is more important than knowledge."
Albert Einstein US (German-born) physicist (1879 - 1955)

This quote has stuck with me for much of my life. I’ve always admired the fact that a scientist and genius like Einstein recognized the value of imagination. Some days it seems like people are trying to rid the world of imagination by getting rid of music, art, recess and the other fun free time where children explore, learn and grow.

Imagination is a sense of adventure. Remember when a cardboard box was a time machine, a rocket ship, or a ship sailing the high seas? When is the last time you looked at a box and saw what it could be instead of the “reality” of what it is?

One of my favorite childhood authors is Roald Dahl. My favorite book is the BFG (or Big Friendly Giant). Not only was it entertaining adventure, but this book had a language all its own. So popular in fact, that his web site has a game of Gobblefunking just so you can learn to talk like the BFG. It’s a grandtastic example of noodling your noggin.

Calvin and Hobbes made a big impact on me as a child too. Calvin’s imagination had no limits. He was a space explorer, a time traveler, philosopher and artist extraordinaire. Reading Calvin as a child I could totally relate to how he viewed the world. I knew stuffed animals could come alive and it made perfect sense that you could become invisible or get lost in the jungle in your own backyard.

Be playful, explore, experiment and have fun. Look for dinosaur eggs during your next visit to a cave system. Listen to the musical crunching of leaves as you walk and draw the purple unicorns and kind-hearted dragons that live in your mind. Eat candy for dinner, make up your own songs or write a poem. Let your mind wander where it will – you’ll be amazed at what you discover!