Using Time Wisely

"How is life any use if you just waste your time?" -Jesse McCartney

This weekend/Monday, while crazy hectic and stressful, was also fantastic. I'm at the very beginning of a new adventure, a new journey, to use my time doing things I love and fill my life with worth, and less time wasted in misery. This weekend was an experiment, and while I made some mistakes, I learned some very valuable things.

How I used my time:

• Cooked homemade broth and chicken noodle soup
• Cleaned my room, and went on a minimalizing rampage :)
• Read books (Under the tuscan sun, The Joy of Keeping Chickens)
• Oohed and ahed over baby ducks
• Luxuriated in some hot cocoa and whipped cream, made from scratch, with lovely little shortbread cookies
• Cuddled with my cats
• Gardened, gently nurturing my salad greens sprouts after a storm
• Wrote on my blog, some fanfiction, and even some original fiction
• Organized my calendar and planned a spa day for next week <3 
• Adventured - specifically, to a barn, an amusement park and a rollerskating rink.

While to some of you cleaning and organizing might be more of a chore, for me they're a mix of therapy, meditation and just sheer fun. I am very domestic in my hobbies.

We talk a lot about how time is precious, but often we don't treat it like it is. We squander it, doing boring things like cleaning and going through our "roles" in our communities, and doing useless things like watching tv. Each moment is finite, limited and cannot be saved once it is gone. We have so much time, why not use it to do something wonderful?

What to do:

• Create.
• Do something you love - whether it's paintings or dirtbiking.
• Explore. You can do this by going on a hike in the forest, looking through a microscope, or by messing around in the kitchen.
• Follow your passion.
• Relax. Put up your feet, break out the chocolate and take a nap.
• Have fun. Lots of it.
• Fill your life with beautiful things.
• Eat good foods.
• Smile.
• Reconnect to the world, through nature, through people, through your community.
• Disconnect from the "Mainstream", which means turning off the tv, unplugging the internet, and silencing your phone.
• Read.
• Get active. I went rollerskating for four hours with my best friend.

What not to do:

• Shirk your responsibilities. I missed an entire day of school, and while I had fun, I shouldn't have missed it. I could've done school, and gotten my fun stuff done, but instead I messed up. Don't repeat my mistake, stay in school.
• Stay up too late. All this does is make you feel exhausted and grouchy. Go to bed when you're tired.
• Watch TV. I made this mistake, squandering about 2 hours watching I-don't-remember-what, and I gained nothing from it. It didn't even relax me.
• Multitask. Multitasking is bad. Instead, focus on what's at hand. Be fully present in the moment.
• Be "productive". America's definition of productivity is totally skewed. Create a new definition: "Doing something that adds value to your life, even if that is by doing nothing and sleeping all day." Taking time to feel good and relax is not wasting your time,
• Push your limits. I made myself really sick at the amusement park, and I could've avoided it if I had taken a rest

How do you use your precious time?

Exercise for The Joy of It

I hate running. Despise it, actually. With a deep, fiery, burning, evil passion. I can't stand it.

I know it's good for you. I know it keeps you healthy. I know people say the endorphin rush is worth it. I know all about the benefits. I still can't stand it.

The first time I made myself run longer than five minutes in the morning? It made me so miserable and angry and just 'blech' that I actually skipped the entire day of school and sent it moping in bed.

Don't get me wrong, I love exercise. And sports. I adore football, basketball, street soccer (the kind where you can elbow and shove and tackle your opponents) - and all of those involve running and physical activity.

But just plain running - I hate it. I don't know why, I just do. I get bored, even when I'm listening to music. It makes me miserable, and I never get that high other people get. I just don't.

However, I've realized that's okay. I know, big accomplishment, right?

I also realized I adore biking. I love it to death. If my bike wasn't in shambles right now I'd be riding it in all my free time. There's some beautiful mountains where I'm living right now, and a great lake for fishing. There's also miles upon miles of open farm land and country. I could have a pretty awesome time biking here.

When my bike was in good condition I rode it to school, home, to my friend's, for kicks, in the middle of the night when I fought with my mom, to the store, everywhere! Even the library which was like a 3 hour ride!!

I've realized when it comes to physical activity, everyone has something their passionate about. One of my best friends rides horses. Another is a second-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do.

So who needs running? I like biking. Physical activity is about more than just exercise. It's about exercising for the joy of it. It's about having fun.

What kind of exercise do you enjoy?