Simple Pleasures

I read the book Sister of my Heart by Chitra Banjerjee Divakaruni a couple of years ago. I enjoyed the book but was irritated by the ending. It was untidy and incomplete. What happened to Sunil and Anju? Did Sudha make it to America? How did the three characters make out? It drove me nuts! (Books can do that to me) Why did she leave me hanging!!??!!

For Christmas, I got another book by the same author called "Vines of Desire". I was pleased to find that it was book two to Sister of My Heart! As the weekend was filled with rain, rain, and more rain reading seemed like a good thing to do.

I was sucked immediately and I could not put the book down. For three days, I devoured part two of the tale. The author has such a way with capturing life's difficulties and dilemmas. Now I am sad that the tale is over. I will think about those characters for days. (If you are a book lover, you'll know what I mean!)

One thing I can do whether "disabled" or "abled" is read. I enjoy books more than movies and always have. It's a good diversion for a person whose day may be filled with pain, medication, and frustration. For a few hours, you can forget your own troubles and get lost in someone else's.

You can learn more about Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni from her website.

I really needed a break from my living room last year. We had something like four months of solid rain. One day I was outside and we spotted a woodpecker. You don't see woodpeckers everyday in my neighborhood. So, I went online and I found enature.com. As I was trying to identify the bird, I found out that I could set up my own wildlife list. I've been doing it for a year. I am amazed and the different creatures I've found in my back yard and neighborhood. I guess I just wasn't looking before.

Are you sick and tired of your white walls, the blarring tv, the messy couch cushions? You can get out and enjoy nature just like I did. It's right there in your backyard.

Each day I either take a short walk or meander around my neighborhood. There are sights and sounds that pull me away from my illness and remind me that there's much to be enjoyed in life. Birds are making nests, catepillars are spinning silk, spiders are weaving webs. It's a wonderful world. When I find something new, I go to my nature list and I add it.

Try to get out each day and breath some fresh air. Observe the trees and plants. See what nature brings. It will do a world of good to your attitude. You won't feel so pent up. And, life won't seem as dreary.

You can set up your own eNature Wildlife List. When you begin to look outside your house, you'll find there is much more to your day than disabilities.

You're probably sick and tired of hearing about your disease, reading about it, or getting sympathy for it. Explore some websites that has nothing to do with illess.

CRAFTS
Free craft ideas

HOBBIES
Join a genealogy chat group at genealogyforum.org

INSPIRATION
The Daily Motivator
Collection of Prayers from around the world and many religions

LEARN SOMETHING NEW
Explore new ideas at PBS.org
Folklore
Mythology and Folklore

MISCELLANEOUS
Queenie at Large

WEBSITE DESIGN AND COMMUNITIES
Free Website at Nexus Webs
WebHosting Facts

By Melody Lassalle

One of the hardest parts of having chronic illness is finding ways to fill your day. This becomes especially difficult when mobility is limited--and your wallet is in the same shape! Here's some ideas to get you off the couch or at least away from the television.

Online Activities:

Try some crafts
There are many free crafts sites to tempt you into crafting! This one is my fave:
AllFreeCrafts
This website has a wonderful collection of craft ideas for kids and adults. All are fairly easy to make (some are even printable!) I highly recommend the layered bathsalt project. I've made several as well as my 7 year old niece.

Take A Class
There are many opportunities online to take a class, email tutorial, etc. There are many materials in the pay and free categories that can be found through a google search. Here's one to get you started:

BBC Learning
The BBC has a small collection of classes covering history, computers, health, and nature. If you're interested in history, the "history trail" section includes archaelogy, Victorian Britain, How to do history, Family History, and more. All class can be printed out. Some have online games and quizzes. No fees or cost for materials.

Coursepal.com
This website provides links to several free course including family history, editing digital photographs, human genetics, introduction to web design, amusement park physics, and more.

Free-Ed.Net Astronomy Course
This is a free college level astronomy course. All material is online.

The National Geographic Online Classroom
The National Geographic offers assignments in several categories. Though these are aimed at school kids, many are high school level and higher. If you're interested in archaeology, paleontology, science, and so forth, this would be a good place to waste a day.

Games
Dyson Telescope Game
This one is a challenger and highly addictive! It starts out easy but gets very challenging.

Learn to Draw
Learn to Draw with Billy Bear
There are many examples of how to draw various animals. Each is fairly easy to follow.

Trace Your Family Tree
Genealogy is great way to expand your mind and your knowledge of your family history. There are millions of websites to help you get started. Here are a couple of my favorites:

Golden Gates Genealogy Forum
GGGF has many resources for started your family tree and pursuing it. Forms, resources, and message boards can be found here.

GenealogyForum.org
Have you already started your family tree? Looking for tips on how to get started? Stop in for a genealogy chat at genealogyforum.org. These chats range from beginners to general to foreign nations.

RootsWeb
One of the best free website for genealogy on the net. There are many resources, indexes, and databases available at rootsweb.com--all for free.

Offline Activities:
Read a book
Start an indoor herb garden
Write in a journal
Play with your dog or cat
Spend time with kids
Bake yourself some cookies
Take a short walk in the backyard
Put on some music and sing
Sing in the shower (one of my favorites!)
Meditate
Buy some easy to make craft projects
Watch some baseball
Sit outside and get some sun
Fill your bird feeder and watch the visitors
Plant some easy to manage flowering plants
Learn a foreign language (see the education links above to learn a language online)
Label your old photographs