There are some things in my life that make me happy, indeed some are a source of such joy as I never imagined possible. Equally, there are some aspects of my life that depress me beyond words, taking me to dark places that leave me clinging desperately to the good things as motivation for... well, everything.
I don't propose to list the things that fall into these categories, the causes of my joy and misery - this is just a blog, after all, not therapy (although some might argue it's both). And of course, like most introspective fools I'm prone to mulling over the latter rather than celebrating the former. After all, who doesn't like to scratch a bothersome itch or, more fittingly, pick at a scab?
Also like most introspective fools, at least those that do their introspection properly, by which I mean "like me", I'm quite cynical when it comes to self-help books, CBT and all the rest. If I get to the point of needing help, I'll talk to my mates, thanks. But even so, when I saw a copy of Alex Quick's 102 Free Things To Do - inspiring ideas for a better life in my local library I was intrigued enough to get it out on loan and have a read. Thankfully, it doesn't set out to be a self-help book, or to rid the reader of misery and depression. It simply lists some things the reader can do for free (mostly) that might improve his or her quality of life.
In summary, these are the 102 things:
- Go out and look at the stars
- Keep a diary - but only one sentence a day
- Meter your energy use with a smart meter
- Give up your car
- Get up earlier
- Sketch your relatives - it's better than photos
- Treasure your precious human body
- Go on an archeological dig
- Write a letter to your future self
- Don't confuse affluence with well-being
- Memorise a poem
- Ask a child for advice
- Take part in a police line-up
- Give up craving for recognition (and be admired for it)
- Notice when things have improved
- Go on holiday without leaving your bedroom
- Practice random acts of kindness (and, if time permits, senseless acts of beauty)
- Climb a mountain
- Turn your house into a restaurant
- Start a film society
- Remember that making mistakes is part of being human
- See the sun rise and set on a single summer's day
- Get fit without joining a gym
- Sit still until you see wildlife emerge
- Contact a friend you haven't spoken to for years
- Go cloud-spotting
- Learn to meditate
- Volunteer for something
- Spend a day and night in a forest
- Cherish older people
- Reconsider your career
- Enlarge your comfort zone
- Achieve your ideal weight
- Learn how to talk to strangers in public
- Visit Project Gutenberg
- Gather a meal from the wild
- Learn another language
- Invent a language
- Pretend you are a valet for humanity
- Go busking
- Start a book in which to record things that have really, really made you laugh
- Go somewhere outdoors that is very silent
- Make Christmas presents for your whole family one year
- Give something up
- Cheer up lonely men in public places
- Swap your CDs
- Adopt or invent a personal motto
- Support your local eccentric
- Become a freegan
- Swim in the sea
- Get to know your neighbours
- Act without expecting anything back
- Deliver meals on wheels
- Look for glue
- Send a message in a bottle
- Have an eco-friendly bonfire
- Attempt a world record
- Walk in the rain
- Give away free trees
- Do a sponsored parachute/bungee jump
- Perform
- Cycle 100 miles in a day
- Serenade someone
- Reflect on something you're grateful for
- Cook and eat a nine-course meal
- Write a love letter
- Create a lair
- Notice beauty
- Let go of emotional pain
- Write down your parents' or grandparents' stories
- Look at your day-to-day concerns from the point of view of five years from now
- Fan the flames of desire
- Contemplate imperfection and impermanence as forms of beauty
- Join a gardening scheme where only your labour is required
- Laugh in the face of death
- Train your memory
- Accept the full catastrophe
- Write the first sentence of a novel
- Cherish solitude (Sister Wendy does)
- Get your friends to sponsor you to go to Spain and celebrate La Tomatina
- Embarrass your children/teenagers
- Work a room
- Confront people politely
- Learn a trick
- Be a representative of your country, in your country
- Try lucid dreaming
- Come to terms with ageing
- Be a bookcrosser
- Teach a child something fun
- Make your gratitude less perfunctory
- Give away your superfluous possessions
- Grow huge sunflowers
- Smile
- Go bell-ringing
- Form a debating club
- Take your shoes off and walk in the dew on a sunny morning
- Dress up
- Give up your TV
- Be 'Lord' for a day
- Write fewer emails and more letters
- Don't expect that things will be different in Tenerife
- Find out what's happening near you and join in
Yes, I know. In places this is a bullshit list. It's just the chapter headings, after all. Some things, like "smile" - well clearly you need to read the book to understand what Quick is getting at. But, in general, these are things that sound... fun. Life-enhancing and, who knows, maybe even life-affirming, don't you think?
Some of the 102 I've already done (they're green). Others, I can't imagine I'll ever do - they're red. But the rest are up for grabs. Don't worry, I'm not going to turn this into a blog theme where I religiously post about every task as I tick them off, to the eventual boredom of everyone concerned, no no no. But I might blog about the odd one or two, if any turn out to be stupendous. Bottom line, though, is this - I haven't been that cheerful lately, sorry, but I wanted you to know I'm trying to do something about that.
Now, Constant Reader, if you could add a 103rd task to the list of inspiring ideas for a better life, what would it be?
P.S. +1 kudos points to any readers ID'ing the song from which this blog post takes it title (only 1 for this, as it's easy...)