Productive Ways to Waste the Day

 

In the AM:

Begin the day with a long walk.  At a brisk pace the average person can walk one mile in about fifteen minutes.  If it’s exercise you’re after figure one hour for four miles, or two hours if you’re the hardcore type.  If a nice stroll is on your mind then leave the wristwatch, cell phone, or general sense of time at home with the rest of the modern world.  Something else to consider is if you want your walk-about to be wet or dry, plugged in or all natural.  If you seek a Zen experience and are removed from the chaos of the city, there is no need to seek solace behind a pair of headphones.  However, if you cannot escape the whirring engines and wild urban atmosphere, then a self-tailored play-list might be more suited to your situation.  No matter your circumstance, the ideal morning walk always ends with the rising Sun setting ablaze the skies above. 

 

Body and Soul:

After you’ve fed your soul with a relaxing saunter, feed your body in the same manner.  A light meal will get your metabolism going seeing as you will need fuel for all of the amazing endeavors that await you.  At the very least have a couple pieces of toast, but remember you just got in a solid workout, so a nice pastry wouldn’t be out of the question by any means.  Whatever your choice for nourishment, savor it as long as possible.

 

The rest of the activities fall in no particular order.  Order for us is simply something you do in a drive thru.

 

Scheme, Scheme, Scheme:

Begin work on a grandiose plan you know is far beyond your means.  Just because you can’t finish a life-size marble sculpture of Uma Thurman today, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t buy a chisel and start rummaging through the local quarry.  Masterpieces begin in the imagination, are developed in the mind, and finally it is the hands with make the final strokes.  Don’t despair over the idea that you might not be good enough to make your dreams come true.  Instead anguish the fact that you might fall short of making everyone else’s fantasies become reality.

        

Read a Book, Write a Book:

Remember, we are only dealing with one day.  Chances are you won’t finish a book you pick up, and you definitely won’t wrap up your novel by the time Letterman says hello to Paul Shaffer and the CBS Orchestra.  Pick a classic book and just read the opening chapter, or perhaps compare the opening lines of several acclaimed literary works.  The moment we seek is inspiration.  Start tossing around story lines or catchy names for your protagonist.  In all creative art forms pre-production is a vital part of the process.  Some books or screenplays float around for years in the intellect before pen is put to paper.

 

Read a Movie, Write a Movie:

Put a foreign film on in the background while you’re finger-painting or studying the ebb and flow of your lavender lava lamp.  I’ve heard this is how classy folks keep it real.  No foreign films?  Try the Sundance Channel or Telemundo.  Watch out for The Futbol, GOOOAAALLLLLL!  As far as “Write a movie,” everyone should try and get their story or someone’s story out there.  At the very least it will be a great exercise in allowing your imaginative juices to flow forth freely.  Don’t neglect to start work on the score for your film.  Danny Elfman provided music for Pee Wee’s Big Adventure in 1985, and later wrote music for blockbusters like Terminator Salvation in 2009.  Everyone has to start somewhere, where will your big adventure begin?

        

Soothing the Savage Beast:

Set aside some to time to listen to music.  No blenders in the background.  Like tasting dark chocolate, you must clear your palette, sit back, relax your thoughts, and take in the sounds as slide past your ears and nestle in your soul.  Put on a familiar song laced with good memories, then close your eyes as your drift back in time.  While you’re in the musical mood, try making some of your own.  If you don’t play any instruments, go out and invest five bucks in a harmonica.  The distance between you and Bob Dylan or Tom Petty is a lot less than you think.  Making music on the harmonica is a simple as breathing in and out.   

 

Moving Ahead with Forward Thinking:

Spend a solid fifteen or twenty minutes tossing around some positive affirmations.  Go beyond the ordinary and get creative.  Often the difference between just another day and total contentment is only your frame of mind.  Attitude is a choice they say; so make it a good one.

 

Share the Wealth: 

There is no sense in enjoying a day if you can’t spread the good vibes all around.  Call someone you haven’t talked to in a while, or send a random e-mail to someone with a strange but interesting bit of trivia you discovered inside your fortune cookie.  Better yet, pay a visit to old Mrs. Nelson down the street; no doubt she could help you with the next item on the list. 

 

The Best Medicine:

You know what makes you chuckle or smile, so seek it out and get it done. =)

 

Ponder what’s Yonder and Wonder what’s Under:

Think about something you don’t usually give any thought to.  What are your thoughts about your thoughts?  How do you feel about feeling?

 

Bottom line, when all is said and done, could you have had a better day?  If so, great, you have the rest of your life to perfect your living.  If no, then my friend you have arrived.  Remember, the ordinary can be extraordinary with just a little extra.