STUCK AT HOME: WHAT TO DO?

If you're like most people nearly all around the world these days, you may have run out of things to do. My wife has cleaned every inch of our house. And I think she's just about ready to start over again.
Me? I'm working at my day job at home because I'm writing this to show the contrast you may understand.

The U S of A (and several other countries) is virtually closed down, it seems and most people are at home or in an empty office. My view is to simply take it as an opportunity do things put off until that time to get "around to it." Perhaps this is that time. And I have a few suggestions for you from my forthcoming book title, Take a Chance on Happiness due out later this year.
Engage other people you haven't had contact with for awhile. Simply pick up your phone and call them. Spend time chatting and catching up on your lives since  the last time you were together.
Be inspired by the things around you. Pick up a book you've intended to read. Look through a magazine you've left on the coffee table for a year and thumb through it. Lots of ideas could easily jump out, if you allow them to. Perhaps got through a drawer or two you haven't opened in a long time and see what's there. You never know just what you'll find to do.
Get to know yourself better by spending time talking to a close friend. Bare yourself to them. Seek their advice and then listen to your friend carefully. You never know just what your life will be a month or two from now. Allow yourself to see your own faults and work on correcting them.
Make meaningful memories. One evening recently, my wife and I went out for a walk in our neighborhood. After that, we ordered a nice dinner from a local restaurant and drove to pick it up. When we got back to the house, we put a DVD in player, set up a card table and chairs, then ate our meals while watching a movie that we bought several months ago and never watched. After eating, we stopped the movie, put the food and dishes away, folded up the table and chairs and moved to the couch. We turned the movie back on and watched together. It was so much fun. Oh, by the way, we've been married over 52 years. What a memory we have of the two of us sitting together enjoying a movie--at our ages.
Express yourself creatively in some way. Most people have no idea just how creative they can be. We heard a news report that stated that when leaving your home, you should wear some kind of mask, even just a scarf would help. So, my lovely bride came up with several different ideas for making masks for us to wear when we leave the house. Some were rather silly, of course. But we both had fun wearing them and making our neighbors laugh--from a distance.
Chill out. It seems that most Americans seem to be so tightly wound that they have no idea what it means to relax. I know I've been that way at times and my wife seems that way most of the time. These last couple of weeks have been a real eye-opener for both of us. We have relaxed more, exercised more, and have enjoyed being together more than we both can remember. We have found the joy of being together. In a sense, we have both been reminded of just why it was we first got married: we really like to be with each other.
Hopefully, this short article has given you a few ideas of things to do at home with out strangling someone. Perhaps these few sentences have opened your eyes to the possibilities at are at your disposal right in front of you. Remember that happiness is a state of mind that you decide to be in.
​Many years ago, I heard my dad say something I've never forgotten. He asked a lady at church, "How are you?" She replied, "Okay, under the circumstances." He smiled and said to her very nicely, "Ms. Agnes, what are you doing under the circumstances? You should get up and get on top. Be in charge of yourself and your circumstances."
Too often we let things or people around us govern how we feel about ourselves and our situations. When we do that, we are people out of control of ourselves and our lives. These times seem opportune, or perhaps any time for that matter, are good times to decide to take control of your life. Don't be under life. Be on top of your own life. Turn your frown upside down. Realize you are blessed just to be alive; and enjoy that fact!