Opposite Day.

Picture by Pink Sherbet Photography

Here’s a fun approach to a childhood favorite – opposite day. Today, try doing things that are the opposite of what you would normally do. The point here is to experiment and have fun. Try doing something that is different from your normal routine. It can be a small change or a big change, just as long as it’s new to you.

Try juice instead of coffee in the morning. Take a new route to work. Park in a new spot. Talk to people you normally avoid. Eat foods you haven’t tried before, or eat in a different order. Try spaghetti for breakfast. Drink milk at dinner.

If you are normally talkative at work, read the newspaper instead, or go for a quiet walk by yourself. If you watch reality TV, try a cartoon or a fantasy movie instead. Turn of the radio as your drive to work and see what the silence sounds like. Smile at other drivers as you go by.

Try a new style of dress. Go casual in the most comfortable (work appropriate) clothes you own. Or play dress-up like you did as a child, putting your best effort into looking and feeling great. Wear a different sock on each foot. Wear tennis shoes with your pants.

If you are normally around adults all day, visit a playground full of chattering, happy kids. Or visit the cute and cuddly puppies and kitties at the local dog pound. Instead of reading the paper, take a walk in the bright sun.

Here’s an easy one we all forget – change your computer screen. Make your background a different color, and change your screensaver. Move your stapler and pencil cup to the opposite side of your desk. Rearrange your files or take down all your “normal” family photos and put up pictures of your favorite movie heroes instead.

Why try opposite day? Why not? Life is all about the living. It’s like the old say “How do you know until you try it?” Take a chance and make a change. It may be one you enjoy so much you’ll keep it up for many months to come. Have fun!

19 Unusual Stress-Busting Tips.

What?!?! by dizznbonn

When life gets too serious, here are a few goofy tips to lighten up and bust that stress out of your life:

• Write a nasty letter in invisible ink.
• Roll down a grassy hill to shake up your world.
• Find a place to hide. (Try the park, your car, the garage or anywhere else you can remain undisturbed for a few hours.)
• Eat funny food. Try goldfish crackers, cherry flavored gummy bears or Scooby Doo ice cream.
• Play basketball and imagine your adversary’s face is the ball. (Ditto for baseball, tennis and soccer.)
• Load a squirt gun with bubble mix and practice your shooting.
• Keep a drawer of crazy buttons and bumper stickers sayings. Put up a wacky motto for the week.
• Go to the pool or run through the sprinklers to “wash your worries away.”
• Have a good sniff. Spritz on your favorite perfume, massage your head with relaxing lavender essential oil or keep your car smelling pine fresh – whatever puts a smile on your face.
• Wear all black to express your feelings. Or dress in all pink to improve your mood.
• Paint your feelings using finger paint.
• Surround yourself with puppies by visiting a local shelter.
• Crank up the music. Listen to some childhood favorites to bring back happy memories.
• Crush and destroy. Find a stuffed animal, gel stress ball or other squishy object and shake, slam, and crush it as you talk about what’s bugging you.
• Become someone else. Escape your problems by adopting a new accent, look or name temporarily. Refuse to answer to your true identity until you feel better.
• Buy a punching bag and get it out of your system. (You’ll get in shape and get those “feel-good” endorphins at the same time.)
• Lie on the grass and cloud watch or star gaze. If you’re still alive after 15 minutes, get up, brush yourself off and continue your day in a better frame of mind.
• Buy some bubble wrap and spend 10 minutes popping them. (I don’t know why but for some reason this always makes me smile.)
• Chew some bubble gum and see how big a bubble you can blow.
• Shake it off. Starting with your left leg, raise it up slightly and shake it as if something were stuck to your shoe. Do the same with the right leg, then your left arm and right arm and finally your entire body. Don’t know why but this works really good. You may have to repeat two or three times to get the full effect.

What are your favorite ways to have fun and loosen up?

Monster Quest.

Bigfoot/Sasquatch by Just a Photographer and Artist in Cleveland Ohio

Do you love monsters, UFO’s, and all things unknown? If so, you’ve probably already seen the History channel’s show “MonsterQuest.” The show searches the globe for the newest evidence and latest sightings of Bigfoot, Sasquatch, Nessie, Swamp Thing, and many other seldom seen creatures of myth and legend.

From video and photo analysis to lab tests on hair and bone fragments, and interviews with eyewitnesses, evidence is examined for accuracy and truth. As you would imagine, much of it is blurry, fuzzy, and out-of-focus, but really folks, if YOU came across an eight-foot tall hairy man-beast, would YOU even remember you had a camera?

As a simple, ordinary person who has seen many experts put to shame when an extinct animal is suddenly seen again, or new archeological evidence rips holes in the latest evolutionary theory, I simply keep an open mind, and enjoy the tales of unusual encounters with unique creatures.

One of the most interesting bits about the show is even when they disprove a claim as not being proof of Bigfoot or a Chupacbra, experts cannot explain what it is they have found. Whether it’s a recording of a bizarre animal call, the carcass a giant squid, or a never-before-seen, and oddly-malformed deep sea fish, the results are still amazing.

I love the mystery of it all. Are there really mutated wolves devouring cows in rural areas? Why not – after all, we already know there is such a thing as a Liger (a tiger/lion mix), and man is that thing impressive! Is there really a dinosaur-like creature in the Loch Ness area of Scotland? Could be. In recent years, we’ve discovered such super-huge squid that those supposed tall-tales of horrible sea-monsters sailors told in the past are now suddenly seen in an entirely new light.

If you want to hear some one-of-a-kind stories and see some amazing creatures (past or present), tune in and check it out. If nothing else, you’ll find a new appreciation for the diversity of life on the planet. Perhaps you’ll reawaken your own curiosity and interest in the world you thought you knew. At the very least, you’re sure to hear a really great story.

10 unusual ways to have fun cleaning.

Picture by holliesanders

Okay we all know that most of us don’t like doing our chores. They are repetitive and boring, there are always other we’d rather be doing. So in an effort to make the drudgery a bit more palatable, here are a few unusual ideas on how to have a little fun while you work.

1. Dance while you work. Make up your own dance moves in the privacy of your own home. Most of like dancing but we have no time to practice. Warning: This can be highly addictive; don’t be surprised if you find yourself dancing in the stores to the overhead music.
2. Read. If you never have time to read, try listening to an audio book each night as you make dinner, wash dishes or pick up.
3. Race yourself. Time yourself to see how fast you can complete your chores. Try to set a goal that’s faster than usual but not so fast you don’t do the job properly. Reward yourself if you can do it faster for a week by purchasing a small gift for yourself.
4. Talk to friends and family. If you never have time to call people you want to talk to, try to do it while you do your weekly cleaning. Put on the headset that came with your cell phone and get two things done at once.
5. Watch a movie. Do you have a few favorite movies that you know almost every line word for word? Put one of them on while you exercise or dust. Even if you miss a few moments you’ll know exactly what’s going on.
6. Make faces at yourself. I’ve done this one as well. Sometimes you just don’t want to do those chores. Maybe you’re tired, or had a frustrating day. Whatever the reason, look in the mirror and make the grumpiest, grouchiest face you can think of. Do this every time you pass a mirror. You’ll find yourself giggling and chuckling at your own silliness and soon your bad mood will be gone.
7. Pretend. Imagine you are a fairy princess being kept as a slave by an evil sorcerer. You must get everything spotless or he will destroy your family and the man you love. Sure it’s silly, but sometimes a little imagination goes a long way. (You could also imagine the look on your mother-in-law’s face when she can’t find a hair out of place on her next visit.)
8. Music. Put on some of your favorite CD’s or a favorite radio station. I did this just the other day with my MP3 player and was amazed at how fast I finished everything. I didn’t get to all the songs I wanted to.
9. Aroma therapy. I have noticed that when I use products with a citrus smell such as orange or lemon I like the smell and enjoy using it more. I used to have a Rainbow vacuum that used water and you could put in different scents to fill the air as you vacuumed. Using more natural products or at least ones that smell good can make your cleaning chore more pleasant.
10. Bless your things. This is a great gratitude exercise. As you wash your favorite glass, put your favorite sheets on the bed, or mop your new tile floor, notice what you are doing. Give thanks for the wonderful things you have and the beauty and joy they give you daily.

While not every idea will work for every person, I hope this will give you something to work with. If you have an idea you’d like to share, please feel free to leave a comment. Thanks for stopping by!

Be creative and break the rules.

Giant baby Uploaded on March 11, 2007 by Greencolander

I used to believe that being creative meant being a famous artist, a musical composer or even a movie director. Now I understand that anyone who does something in a new way, or even views the world differently is creative. The mother sewing a Halloween costume for her child, the would-be inventor with his drawings and software programs, or the sister blessed with a knack for floral arranging are all creative.

The Internet has been a fascinating medium to display and promote so many highly innovative artists. Some of my favorites have been the hyper-realistic sculptures of Ron Mueck, the teeny tiny art on a pinhead from Willard Wigan and the driftwood horses of Heather Jansch. These unique and imaginative artists inspire us with their dedication to detail and distinctive designs.

The great thing about being creative is that you get to break all the rules. Color outside the lines; make the grass purple and the sky red. It’s your individual vision. Use clay, crayons, copper wire, or old forks. Make artwork so small it has to be viewed under a microscope, or give new life to dead, dried up pieces of wood. Your masterpiece is up to you. Construct whatever distinctive and extraordinary visions your mind can come up with. You get to decide. Experiment and try something new. You never know what you’ll discover.

As always, I have a few more lovely web sites to share the joy of creativity with you. These will stimulate your brain cells and get you thinking:

Creativity for life

Robert Alan Black

Jig Zone (online jigsaw puzzles)

Web Sudoku online