Day 250

Yesterday was the best one in the whole month! Had the senior news distributed by noon and puttered, long talk with Eileen, dug potatoes, pulled a few weeds. All good. Today is the last farmers’ market and I will miss the socializing and the fresh produce. The Russian red kale was my favorite this season. Makes a delicious salad with lemon and garlic. I’ll start the month with a brisk walk. The moon and stars tell the 44 degrees.

Senior News

Cultivate imagination, day dream. Buy a pack of crayons or colored pencils and doodle on a pad of paper. It’s fun to make random patterns or learn to zentangle. Sitting in front of the TV could be a time for exploring lines and spaces. Cut out magazine pictures and make a collage. That’s fun too. All it takes is scissors and paste. Find a time for silence.

Remember fantasies from childhood. Did you want to grow up to be and artist or a poet? It’s never too late to get started. Find a class that piques your interest. Be open to what’s going on in the community. Like to swim? Join a group and remember how much fun it is to be in the water. It’s good for socializing while exercising.

Eat new foods. Find new recipes. Share with friends. They probably have a favorite that they want to share with you. Better yet, share a meal. The produce workers will tell you about uses for vegetables that may not be familiar. Take a close look at the shelves on aisles you may not regularly see. There are choices that can spice up your cooking. Be bold.

Associate with creative people and brain storm ideas for projects individually or as a group. Visit art galleries and museums to see what makes you curious. Research is a creative process. Once I took art lessons at a gallery with children. It was a great way to learn the different art media and the kids didn’t mind that I was a bit older than they were.

Take a risk and find a new volunteer placement. Use your skills and talents in new ways with new people. Find out what’s available that suits your time and talents. Look some place that is completely different from anything you have already done. That’s the way to expand your experience of your community. Most non-profits depend on volunteers to provide their services. They are looking for you.

Exercise. Walking can be creative. Walk on different streets, take a camera, notice  seasonal changes. Get familiar with new neighborhoods. Invite a friend to walk with you. Find a walking group. Yoga will start you where you are. Yoga promotes a flexible mind in a flexible body. There are exercise classes at most senior centers that are free and fun while getting fit.

As long as we are alive, we are creative.