my list
Yesterday I wrote that your vocation — your call to contribute to the work of making the world more beautiful, just, and compassionate — is worthy of the resources, time, and energy required to strengthen and sustain it. And I asked: If you were to make a list of the stuff that strengthens and sustains your sense of purpose, what would be on that list?
Such a list is and should be dynamic and personal. It’s also a good thing to share with others whose work in the world is worthy of sustaining.
Here’s my list, in its current form:
visit a friend
run around the cove
take a nap
people watch
stand up straight
write on a blank sheet of paper
eat slowly
organize a drawer
purge a closet
rearrange a room
go barefoot in the grass
eat a cookie
write a well-done list
have an alarm-clockless morning
wait before checking messages
cook an involved meal
make frozen pizza
light a candle
cuddle with pets/friends
say no to something
ride bikes
walk with some dogs
do one sun salutation
turn off some or all notifications
try not to say “should”
learn some local history/flora/fauna
drive the long way home
memorize a poem
read fiction
excavate an old hobby
get a treat
color
learn some new words
hum/whistle
make funny faces
browse shelves at a used bookstore
go hiking
go canoeing
play a sport
go down a slide
tell someone a joke
lean on a tree
splash my face with some river
make coffee
take a deep breath