I was reading another CFS blog and the woman was lamenting about having fun things to do when you can't do anything. I do this all the time myself but it got me wondering, "What have I been doing to entertain myself when I can't move?" Basically I sit outside and enjoy nature. I watch things I was too busy to notice when I was well, birds, bees, butterflies, stars, meteors, clouds. Since I didn't have to get up for work the next day I had the privilege of laying out on my deck late at night wrapped in a blanket to watch the Pleiades Meteor shower this year. It is an annual event which I have never spent a lot of time on. It is a bit slow by our Boston standards. I am so glad I spent several hours out there watching the meteors streak across the sky.
So here is the conundrum: we live on planet earth and we come from nature but most of us work in an office building, get around in cars and live in a house. Can you name the trees in your yard or on your block? Do you know the names of the birds that come around for a visit? Do you know what grasses grow in your lawn? Did you know that there are over 20,000 species of bees? Or that the Monarch butterfly migrate from Canada to Mexico and it takes 2-3 generations to complete?
So I have a challenge for you, learn about where you live. Learn the names of the things you share this little patch of earth with. What bugs are in the soil? What bushes are outside your window? What makes that weird sound at night? Why do the ants like coming inside your house?
You are so right about nature and the outdoors - it brings me so much peace.
ReplyDeleteMy problem isn't so much not having anything fun to do but feeling guilty over using any of my very limited productive time for myself. I love your to-do list in the next post - it all sounds like fun! But with two kids and a husband and trying to maintain some semblance of a writing career, my own to-do list is all stuff I have to do for others, not for myself.
But, you and others who responded to my post have inspired me! I took some time to just relax this weekend and will try to find more balance in my life. Thanks for the ideas!
Sue
I'm glad you like the ideas. My kid is old enough now that I can occassionaly do stuff I want to do which is a nice change. Don't feel guilty! We need the creative time to rejuvenate ourselves and our soul. It is a time to recharge our batteries so that we can go back out into the world. As women we are always the last ones we take care of. I think as part of this illness we are forced to take care of ourselves or risk making ourselves even sicker.
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