Today has been one of those days when every email, letter, and phone call ends up costing money. I’ve talked to the cable people, my student loan people, my mechanic, credit card people, and more. You know how it goes.
So, to cheer myself (and maybe you) up, I’ve decided to make a list of THINGS THAT CAN MAKE YOU HAPPY AND ARE FREE. This is just a little list, in no special order, but I hope you enjoy! Add your own ideas, if you like.
1. The library. My gratitude to the library is inexpressible. Today I downloaded a free audio book that I’m excited about reading. Free entertainment, free knowledge, free joy. How can I be so blessed?
2. Parks. People pay for most of their experiences: eating, going to a movie, etc. But parks? They’re free! There’s a lot of love and care that goes into most parks, and it makes a person feel very blessed to enjoy them, free of charge.
3. Family and friends. Sure, sometimes people can drive you crazy. But in the end, we all mean endless riches to each other when we reach out and enjoy the value of our relationships.
4. Wildflowers. When I started doing research for my upcoming romance, IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT, I realized how amazing flowers are (the book is about two sisters who own a wildflower farm in Vermont). Loving wildflowers isn’t something you can teach someone, but once the appreciation for how intricate, beautiful, and complex they are starts to sink in, just looking at a bit of chicory on the side of the road can make you feel like luxury is at your fingertips.
5. Blogs. Every day, bloggers (like myself) put our hearts on the line and devote hours to our posts. Blogs are always a great source of joy for me—and they so often have many free giveaways (just like on my blog and on the blog you’re reading now). So, blogs enrich our lives—often quite literally—and we don’t pay a dime.
6. Social networking. MySpace, Facebook, Twitter…where would we be if those sites weren’t free? I personally love Facebook and am on it all the time, chatting with friends and fellow readers. Social networks are huge, complicated endeavors to put together…and we get to benefit from them for free!
If you think of any free things that enrich your life, do share the love by leaving a comment. I’ll end with a quote I saw today from the philosopher Epicurus: “Not what we have, but what we enjoy, constitutes our abundance.”
Best wishes,
Lisa Dale
http://www.lisadaleblog.com/
So, to cheer myself (and maybe you) up, I’ve decided to make a list of THINGS THAT CAN MAKE YOU HAPPY AND ARE FREE. This is just a little list, in no special order, but I hope you enjoy! Add your own ideas, if you like.
1. The library. My gratitude to the library is inexpressible. Today I downloaded a free audio book that I’m excited about reading. Free entertainment, free knowledge, free joy. How can I be so blessed?
2. Parks. People pay for most of their experiences: eating, going to a movie, etc. But parks? They’re free! There’s a lot of love and care that goes into most parks, and it makes a person feel very blessed to enjoy them, free of charge.
3. Family and friends. Sure, sometimes people can drive you crazy. But in the end, we all mean endless riches to each other when we reach out and enjoy the value of our relationships.
4. Wildflowers. When I started doing research for my upcoming romance, IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT, I realized how amazing flowers are (the book is about two sisters who own a wildflower farm in Vermont). Loving wildflowers isn’t something you can teach someone, but once the appreciation for how intricate, beautiful, and complex they are starts to sink in, just looking at a bit of chicory on the side of the road can make you feel like luxury is at your fingertips.
5. Blogs. Every day, bloggers (like myself) put our hearts on the line and devote hours to our posts. Blogs are always a great source of joy for me—and they so often have many free giveaways (just like on my blog and on the blog you’re reading now). So, blogs enrich our lives—often quite literally—and we don’t pay a dime.
6. Social networking. MySpace, Facebook, Twitter…where would we be if those sites weren’t free? I personally love Facebook and am on it all the time, chatting with friends and fellow readers. Social networks are huge, complicated endeavors to put together…and we get to benefit from them for free!
If you think of any free things that enrich your life, do share the love by leaving a comment. I’ll end with a quote I saw today from the philosopher Epicurus: “Not what we have, but what we enjoy, constitutes our abundance.”
Best wishes,
Lisa Dale
http://www.lisadaleblog.com/
7 comments:
Since I live near a bay full of water I can add the waves, sand, birds, and even serenity and peace for free. And it has a calming influence when I am all wound up about something.
Walking with a friend. Always love doing that and it burns calories too!
Enjoying the sunset at night. We have some really pretty ones where I live in Northern Indiana over Lake Michigan.
Sleeping! Ahh....do I love to snuggle under the covers and relax.
Going to the movies in the park up town. They show movies for free on Friday nights in my town along with a musical act before the movie.
Also, we have free symphonies in the park near me. I have gone many times with my friend. My husband gets to bored and falls asleep.
We have many trails and boardwalks near by for us to enjoy nature. Walking on the many trails is very calming. One right near my house has a working farm with animals that you can visit. They hold festivals there such as the Harvest festival, the Maple Sugar festival, etc.
I am rather lucky to live so close to so many free things that I can enjoy.
Oh, one last thing, there is the beach 5 minutes from my house. I can enjoy Lake Michigan and do I love the water! It is so soothing having the water lapping over my feet and feeling the sand scrunch under my toes.
Have a fun week everyone!
Thanks so much for sharing what you love that's free. What a nice way to end the day.
All the best,
Lisa
Playing with my daughter. Nothing can beat the sound of her giggles!
Time with my grandsons.
re-reading something wonderful...
short naps in the middle of the afternoon...
a hug from someone that loves you...
Just popping in to say how much I enjoyed reading SIMPLE WISHES! :-)
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