Hi!
I'm a pretty big fan of Mark Sisson and his website. Today's post was about the 16 TWSHNSD (see my post title.)
I'm all over this one!
Climb - anything.
I still love to climb trees. When I am running through neighborhoods at night on training runs, I always look for library stairs, etc, up and down, just for kicks. Trees are the best, though. One of our former FAs, Holly, climbed a moose with me on an overnight in Providence, RI. If you can climb it, you should. Climbing is fun.
Jump in puddles (or snow mounds.)
I remember coming back from dropping off a fuel slip on a DC-10 that I had just fueled, and I hopped from puddle to puddle in the rainstorm that was abusing us at ORD. Both feet at a time, like I was a ten-year-old (I had to be at least 28.) It felt great (still does!) On an overnight in Cincy, we were walking back from dinner in a snowstorm, and my friend Newton, one of our FOs, was in only the 2nd snowstorm of his life (He grew up in Jamaica.) So, I jumped into a snowbank and showed him how to make a snow angel. He said "If you think I am going to lay down in this white sh*t and flail my arms around like a madman, you are out of your mind!" I said "oh, legs, too!" Snow is wonderful. When is the last time you just ran around in the rain or looked up catching snowflakes on your tongue?
Play in the sand, dirt, mud, creek, lake...
Let yourself get messy! We used to be in nonstop contact with the earth, and we were probably better off for it. Jump in a lake, play in the mud, get dirty, the works. When my son wants to play in the sand, in I go! It's sand!!
Eat food right off the plant, out of the dirt.
Thomas walks up to our small forest of kale plants and just grabs a leaf and starts munching. We pick the white raspberries right off the plant and eat them standing in our backyard. I remember when we used to spend summers in Kentucky, the neighbors across the street had this great blackberry bramble; we would just cross the street and help ourselves. Don't be afraid of dirt, don't be afraid of getting a little on your food. (yes, yes, yes, wash for pesticides, but if you are using them in your backyard, then shame on you anyways.)
Tell the Truth.
Of course, sometimes we should sugar coat it. Kids just blurt out the truth, because they have not learned that sometimes you can hurt someone's feeling (Does this make my ass look big? No bigger than it already looks, honey!) Obviously, you don't want to offend anyone just for the sake of offending them (in this context... YES, offend whom you want to offend. Mixed signals? Sure, but life is funny that way.)
Let go of grudges.
Yes, some things are unforgivable (deliberately hurting a child, etc...) but really, we get so wrapped up over small things, we forget we only have limited time. Bury the hatchet, relax, find a way to laugh together... but for cryin' out loud, let it go eventually!
Test Limits.
Have you ever tested your own limits? Do you even know where they are? Go for a run... and when you run, take a quick sprint to see how fast you can go. Afraid of the water? Take a swimming lesson, maybe. You don't have to go hog wild, but every now and then push a boundary back... do something different, even if it won't mean anything to anyone. Other than you.
Daydream.
Stare at the clouds, watch them make shapes. This is a great thing to do WITH kids, because at the right age, they are all over it. Plus, bonus, if they are doing it with you, then they see that it is ok to daydream as an adult. Who would want to lose that? Stare at the wall. Have you ever actually watched paint dry? IT kinds of dries in weird patches, and spreads unevenly... give it a go!
Move Spontaneously.
Dance, leap, boogie down. Take dance lessons. DON'T take dance lessons! Thomas like having our 'kitchen dance party.' We play a fun song (Milow, Little In The Middle, is great,) Then we just hop and dance around in the kitchen. Be silly. Always dance with kids, they are great! Even try verbally. A good friend of mine and I were talking about our theater experiences whilst we were flying together, and we did the rest of our checklists singing melodramatically (aviation is serious stuff, so it was like flying as Faust.) (low baritone voice-- Descent checklist, pleeeaasseeeeeeee. Yes, we're dorks...lol.)
Go to bed early.
Your body starts the recovery process while you are asleep. Lack of sleep is well known for pushing ghrelin levels slightly higher. Ghrelin promotes the retention of fat. Sleep more, lose weight (isn't that great?!?!) Sleep also lets you de-stress. Mucho Importante.
Laugh Early and Often throughout the day.
Giggle, be silly, find humor in many things. Like Mark says, spend a day around kids, and the "chicken butt" joke will make them laugh... and laugh.. and laugh. Laughter suppresses cortisol (stress hormone,) epinephrine, dopamine... it enhances the effectiveness of T cells (strengthening the immune system.) Why be sour? Find a joke... Some study said kids laugh upwards of 400 times a day, adults, more like 15 (and probably more chuckle chuckle, then all out belly laughing.) Read DamnYouAutoCorrect and laugh till you want to pee your pants.
[o.k... that just distracted me for... oh.. 15 minutes... and I laughed a LOT.]
Read.
Read anything. It doesn't have to be soul searching for answers every time you pick up a book (or magazine, or newspaper, or whatever.) Read fiction. try some hard fiction, or try some non-fiction. I read bits of everything. Reading helps activate those synapses that keep the brain functioning properly. Interesting, in that we didn't have a proper written language until very late in evolution, and yet it makes such wonderful changes to the brain.
Play Games.
I think this is part and parcel to getting dirty. Run around a bit. Kick a ball. Throw a frisbee. Go ice skating. Play Monopoly, and make up your own rules (make it a drinking game!) Don't be afraid to lose, lose gracefully, and win gracefully, too. Be a good example. Go to little league games, they're great.
Create.
Thomas loves stacking things up. He likes to draw. He likes to "play 'tar." Nurture their creative side, and have fun with it. Do the same for yourself. Bored? Grab your child's play dough and see what you can form out of it (I make great perfectly round spheres... like meatballs.) Sit down at a friend's piano and just kind of plink along... notice the relationships of the keys (symmetrical 'forms' when you depress the keys (not octaves) produce minor chords. There, bet you didn't know that!)
Skip meals. (When there is something more exciting going on outside.)
We survived famines, we survived millions of years of evolution not knowing where our next meal was coming from. We foraged, we hunted, we ate. Sometimes... we didn't eat. There are interesting studies about intermittent fasting... after all, when you wake up, you just went 8-10 hours without eating, right? You're not dying, right? As long as you are otherwise healthy, (and even, for the most part, if you are not,) skipping a meal because you are watching the little league team play is not such a terrible thing. Skiing? Keep on going!!
Stay outside until the last possible minute.
For us, growing up, this was when the streetlights came on. Then again, as long as we were safe, that was not enforced that much (1970s/80s Chicago, on the far SW side.) But we stayed outside, playing, and having fun. Go for a walk at night, enjoy the smell of the air. Get the heck out of your house (or out of your hotel, for my airline friends. Yes, some areas are unsafe... there is only so much we can do, but if you have local knowledge, take a hike.)
I will add one more that is close to my heart....
Hug your friends.
Yes, really, give them a big hug when you can. Compliment them (they are your friends for a reason... you should be able to compliment them regularly, and not falsely.) When you miss them, tell them you miss them. Take time to visit. You will hate yourself if you ever have that point where you could have, but cannot any longer.
Smile.
Simplissimo.
Cheers!
Scott
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