My Own Suggested Small Extra For Every Day of the Week
This piece from Sophie Lucido Johnson was so eloquent and insightful. She suggested one small pleasure for every day of the week. It got me to thinking, what small activities would I suggest to partake in every day of the week? I might just mix it up a little and list small extra activites that certainly should bring pleasure and renewal. Even just the overall categories from which to choose the activities from are unlimited! But like Johnson, I will just name one for every day of the week.
On Monday, write a poem.
Take time on Monday to write a quick poem. This may require just a little extra time(or more or less) and a little extra creativity. Aim at a type of poem or poem structure that you may be in the mood for. Perhaps a small quatrain of four lines with some variation of rhyme. Maybe a sonnet, haiku, or ode would be up your alley in this day that traditionally starts the work week.
On Tuesday, learn five distinct interesting facts.
Take time today to teach yourself five distinct interesting facts. You are free to choose the method for acquiring these facts — whether through perusing a nonfiction book, asking Google fiver random questions, or even randomly surfing through Wikipedia. Make sure to write these facts down on a notepad or word file. That way you can revisit them later to be re-inspired and perhaps impress others.
On Wednesday, strive to compliment five people.
Striving to compliment five people should make this midday of the week more positive for you and others. These can be strangers you think will like a compliment, or close family, friends, or coworkers who will appreciate the kind words. If it is difficult to do in person(for instance if you work from home all day), then aim to send positive messages through other means like Facebook messages or even mailing “compliment letters.”
On Thursday, perform three good deeds.
“Do a good turn daily,” is a common rule of many organizations or moral viewpoints. On this Thursday, strive for triple that. What classifies is a good deed is broad in scope, basically anything that makes a positive difference to others or the greater whole. Your good deeds may include picking up a piece of trash, holding the door open for others, or taking up an extra task at work. Good deeds can often come back to bless you many times over.
On Friday, buy flowers(or find part of a different plan if flowers not available).
Buy flowers for yourself today, or for a loved one, confidante, or friend. If you cannot buy flowers then buy another plant or pick a part of a plant(like a flower petal) from an outside plant. This act should freshen and brighten your day(and the possible days of others.)
On Saturday, go for an extra long walk.
Walk perhaps twice as long as you normally would, either through a nature trail, at the gym, or around an indoor shopping center. Walking is good for the body, mind, and heart so you should certainly feel enriched.
On Sunday, take 20 extra minutes for quiet prayer, meditation, or reflection.
Whatever your religious point of view or life stance, take a little extra time (just 20 minutes) to recharge and reconnect spiritually. This can be through prayer or meditation to help you connect even more to what is at the heart of things, or it can just be reflection about your spiritual journey. Certainly, Sunday is a conventional day for many to commit to this area(as are other days for others of different traditions). But this would be just 20 additional minutes, maybe mixing it up to try a different prayer or reflection exercise. The sky is the limit for different types or methods of prayer, meditation, or reflection. Maybe you can add journaling, music, or light physical activity like walking into this additional 20 minutes. Whatever you choose should help you find renewal and reconnection as you prepare for a new week to start again.
So here are an additional week of activities that should bring lasting pleasure, fulfillment, and renewal. One meaningful activity would be to come up with your own week of small pleasures or activities. What might you choose, and what a fun adventure deciding these can be! Of course, the real challenge is also to follow through each day. That’s what I will attempt to do in the next week with my own list.
