Rut Busters

Growing up, I had a list titled "Rut Busters" and I'd all but forgotten about it until this afternoon when I was thinking about standing on my head.


Here are a few things you can do to bust out of any rut you may be in; a rut being anytime you feel a lull in your life, or out-of-sorts, cabin fever, or a little on the mundane side. It's important that all of these things are free (or cheap) and quick all something you can do in 2 hours or less.

*stand on your head (try this on the couch or on your bed so you'll have some cushioning)
*find a blood drive or call 1-800-Give-Life
*flip through your cookbooks for a recipe you've forgotten about, but love and make it
*buy yourself some flowers
*go a an arcade and play a game from your childhood
*exercise hard until you are so tired and sweaty you have to bend over to catch your breath
*will yourself to laugh out loud during a movie, while reading a book, or at a joke---even if it's not that funny, you'll feel better and it will be easier to laugh the next time
*visit the library and check something out from a shelf you've never browsed before...maybe a book about astronomy, ancient roman architecture, a travel guide to Malaysia, or poetry (a note about poetry, even if you don't get it, the higher language format will sharpen your thinking)
*while you are at the library, peruse the music collection and check something out by an artist you've never heard of and listen to it on the way home
*take a nap
*get a haircut or new color
*go window shopping (not as in buying new windows, but as it looking and considering without spending a penny)
*sign up for a parks and rec class
*turn on some loud music and dance crazy (preferably without anyone watching)
*deep clean something in your house: a closet, the baseboards, your windows
*eat a zippy salad---make sure to include something cruchy (like nuts), something sweet (apple chunks), something tangy (poppyseed dressing), something chewy (craisins) and of course great green like spinach and bib lettuce.)
*wear flip flops
*write a snail mail letter to your grandma, mom, or favorite teacher
*get social---go visiting teaching, invite some friends over for a game night, set up a playgroup
*call a good friend and try not to talk about yourself but focus on her
*anonymously deliver a treat to someone you know
*decorate for the season/holiday
*write in your journal a fearless inventory of what you are feeling and thinking about
*go on a walk through nature by yourself---if you live in the city without a park nearby, find a conservatory or atrium or pretty tree-lined street---and hug a tree while you are at it (you'll be surprised how deeply you'll feel)
*put on makeup, get a make-over
*make some soup for dinner
*time travel by visiting jpeterman.com (you'll just love the descriptions as well as get a kick out of prices)
*visit a thrift store and see what treasure you can find for under $2 (while you are at it, get a box, fill it with 15 things from your house, and donate it when you go)


A thought from a more elegant writer than I, Isak Dinesen,
"The cure for anything is salt water---sweat, tears, or the sea."