114 Ways to Celebrate Life

114 Ways to Celebrate Life
By: Marelisa Fábrega
Abundance Blog at Marelisa Online http://abundance-blog.marelisa-online.com
photo credit: eyesplash Mikul
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114 Ways to Celebrate Life
By Marelisa Fábrega
Read and share: This ebook is licensed under a Creative Commons license. You have permission to post this, email this, print this and pass it along for free to anyone you’d like, as long as you do not make any changes or edits, whatsoever, to its contents or digital format and you give me credit for the ebook’s creation (I retain all attribution rights to this ebook). In fact, I would appreciate it if you could pass it along to others. Commercial use of this work is prohibited.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Celebrate Life Every Day - Create Your List of Simple Pleasures ................................................................................... 4
Have Afternoon Tea or Go on a Picnic ........................................................................................................................... 5
Never Allow Anyone to Rain on Your Parade ................................................................................................................ 5
Help Others: Celebrate Life by Paying it Forward .......................................................................................................... 7
Carpe Diem – Seize the Day .......................................................................................................................................... 8
Nurture relationships ................................................................................................................................................... 9
It’s All About the Little Things ..................................................................................................................................... 10
Follow SARK’s Advice .................................................................................................................................................. 11
Indulge Your Taste Buds ............................................................................................................................................. 13
Outdoor Summer Fun ................................................................................................................................................. 14
Be a Kid Again ............................................................................................................................................................. 16
Celebrate Autumn ...................................................................................................................................................... 17
Celebrate Life When It’s Snowing ............................................................................................................................... 17
Pamper Yourself ......................................................................................................................................................... 18
Celebrate the Holidays ............................................................................................................................................... 19
Final Words ................................................................................................................................................................. 20
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"The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate."
-- Oprah Winfrey CELEBRATE LIFE EVERY DAY - CREATE YOUR LIST OF SIMPLE PLEASURES
If you don't have a list of at least twenty things you like to do, then you don't have a menu for enjoying life. You need to create a list of things that are fun for you, and you have to make a commitment to do at least one of the things on your list every day. If your energy level is low, you might not feel like doing any of the items on your list. That is, your strategy might be to wait until your energy level is back up. However, by intentionally doing things you enjoy--even if it's something small, such as drinking a cup of freshly roasted coffee as you read the Sunday funnies, or calling a dear friend to catch-up--, you're actually building up your energy resources. In this ebook you'll find a list of 114 ways to celebrate life: simple pleasures to help remind you to slow down and enjoy the moment. Use them as inspiration to create your very own list of things that bring you joy. Remember that the point isn't just to create a list; it's to go out and actually do the things on your list!
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“Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain.”
--Unknown HAVE AFTERNOON TEA OR GO ON A PICNIC
1. Have afternoon tea "alfresco". Find a small coffee shop with tables set up outside; or pack a picnic basket with iced tea, chicken salad from the deli, scones, and a warm, crusty loaf of French bread-and head out to the park. 2. Take a large thermos and fill it with cold lemonade; pack some fried chicken and crispy churros coated in cinnamon in a picnic basket. Then go up to the rooftop of your building for an impromptu picnic. 3. Take out the Blue Willow porcelain set (actually, anything you have will do), stop by the bakery and get some hot-buttered crumpets and muffins, and invite your next door neighbor over for afternoon tea.
NEVER ALLOW ANYONE TO RAIN ON YOUR PARADE
4. Go out for a walk in the spring rain.
5. Gear up in a raincoat and galoshes and stomp in puddles.
photo credit: Llima
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6. Get a bright red umbrella. Or better yet, make it a multi-colored umbrella.
7. Watch "Singin' in the Rain" with Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds. (Watch a scene from "Singin' in the Rain" on YouTube). 8. Climb into bed when it's raining outside; listen to the sound of the rain tapping against the window pane.
9. Create a home-made water park. Pull out the plastic waterslide, set up the sprinkler, and fill the inflatable pool. As long as it’s raining, you might as well get really wet!
Let Flowers Brighten Your Day
10. Plant pots of brightly colored flowers; you can choose to plant camellias, violets, and geraniums. For fragrant blossoms plant jasmines. 11. Arranging beautiful flowers in a vase is a simple, exquisite pleasure. 12. Explore the seed packets in the nursery and decide which ones to plant in your walkway. 13. Create a bouquet of hydrangeas and place it in a prominent spot in your home.
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HELP OTHERS: CELEBRATE LIFE BY PAYING IT FORWARD
14. Adopt a child through Christian Children's Fund or any organization that helps children in need and that you trust. Is there a better way to celebrate life than by lending a helping hand to a child?
15. Donate your time at a food shelter.
16. Invest in a third world country entrepreneur through www.kiva.com.
17. Donate blood.
18. Donate clothes you no longer use to a battered women's shelter.
19. Donate children's books to a hospital nearby.
20. Fill a basket with everything a new-born baby needs and drop it off at a nearby hospital for a woman of low income who just gave birth.
21. Practice random acts of kindness. Acts of kindness can include leaving the exact change for a soda in the change slot of a vending machine, giving up your seat on the train to someone who looks tired, taking a box of donuts to your local firehouse, letting someone who appears to be in a hurry cut ahead of you in line at the grocery store, giving someone an honest compliment, and so on.
Here are three resources for finding more ideas on acts of kindness:
 Random Acts of Kindness
 More Random Acts of Kindness
 The Giving Heart: Unlocking the Transformative Power of Generosity in Your Life
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"Gather ye rosebuds while ye may. The Latin term for that sentiment is carpe diem. Seize the day. Gather ye rosebuds while ye may."
-- Mr. Keating, "Dead Poets Society" CARPE DIEM – SEIZE THE DAY
In the film "Dead Poets Society", which is set in 1959, an English teacher--John Keating (played by Robin Williams)--teaches his students at a conservative prep school, through his teaching of literature and poetry, to seize the day and to live life fully.
Here are some words of advice from Mr. Keating on how to seize the day:
22. Think for yourself.
23. Constantly look at things in a different way.
24. Strive to find your own voice.
25. Savor words and language.
26. Gather at an old Indian cave and take turns reading from Thoreau, Whitman and Shelley.
27. Don't just read poetry, let it drip from your tongue like honey.
(Watch a scene from the movie on YouTube.)
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"And in the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed." -- Kahlil Gibran NURTURE RELATIONSHIPS
28. Renew a relationship with someone you've lost touch with. 29. Create a collage of pictures of your loved ones, frame it, and hang it up in a visible spot in your home. 30. Give someone you love a gift "just-because". Better yet, make it a care package or a gift basket filled with their favorite things:
 flavored coffee, a great coffee mug, and the book they've been
wanting to read;
 microwave popcorn and all of the "Indiana Jones" movies on DVD;
 their favorite scented bath products; and so on.
31. Have Sunday Brunch with your closest friend in the world.
32. Buy all of the necessary ingredients for making tamales, invite a group of friends over, and make tamales in an assembly-like style. Open a bottle of wine for drinking as you cook. At the end of the evening everyone goes home with a pile of fresh tamales. 33. Grab a good friend and go for a drive, with the windows down, and the car radio playing your favorite songs. 34. Give your spouse or significant other a little journal that is only to be used for writing love notes to each other. 35. Invite your friends over for a night of board games, cards, and charades.
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"There are no little things. Little things are the hinges of the universe."
-- Fannie Fern IT’S ALL ABOUT THE LITTLE THINGS
36. Blow bubbles. 37. Whistle. 38. Sing in the shower. 39. Watch the sunset. 40. Watch the sunrise. 41. Wear audacious underwear. Nobody has to know. 42. Stop and really listen to a street musician. 43. Listen to Jazz. 44. Write your partner a love letter. 45. Make a recording of your loved ones' laughter. 46. Go to a pet shop and "ooh" and "aah" at the puppies and kittens. 47. Simmer apple cider, cinnamon, and cloves in water on your stove. 48. Go out for a walk and take your camera along; take photographs of interesting faces. 49. Listen to your favorite "Beatles" songs. 50. Search your local newspaper for the next gallery opening near your home and attend. 51. Get yourself a big book of sudokus or crossword puzzles and sit back for an afternoon of fun mind stimulation.
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FOLLOW SARK’S ADVICE
When she was 10 years old, SARK--Susan Ariel Rainbow Kennedy--announced to her mother that she was supposed to be "a beacon of hope to the world and write books." At the age of 55, SARK has written 16 books, in which she combines bright, scribbled pictures and handwritten pages. Here are some of her suggestions on how to read her books: "In a shaft of sunlight, beside a bowl of oranges, barefoot. In the bathtub with many candles and slices of mango. In white cotton pajamas, under a comforter with a cat sleeping in a circle." And here's some more of her advice:
52. Wear bright togas and meet in a drumming circle.
53. Make more mistakes... you learn quicker.
"When we lack proper time for the simple pleasures of life, for the enjoyment of eating, drinking, playing, creating, visiting friends and watching children at play, then we have missed the purpose of life. Not on bread alone do we live but on all these human and heart-hungry luxuries. " -- Ed Hayes
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“Stay loose. Learn to watch snails. Plan impossible gardens. Invite someone dangerous to tea. Make little signs that say Yes! and post them all over your house. Make friends with freedom & uncertainty. Look forward to dreams . . .”
-- SARK
54. Swing as high as you can on a swing set, by moonlight.
55. Practice radical self-acceptance.
56. Keep toys in the bathtub.
57. Extend an invitation to a friend to watch movies and eat pop tarts.
Here are some of SARK’s whimsical books:
 Creative Companion: How to Free Your Creative Spirit
 Sark’s New Creative Companion
 Make Your Creative Dreams Real
 The Bodacious Book of Succulence
 Succulent Wild Woman
 Living Juicy: Daily Morsels for Your Creative Soul
 Inspiration Sandwich: Stories to Inspire Our Creative Freedom
 Juicy Pens, Thirsty Paper
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INDULGE YOUR TASTE BUDS
58. Get a delicious, gooey brownie and savor every morsel. 59. Learn to bake peach cobbler. 60. Eat berries fresh from the farmers' market. 61. Get a big, juicy watermelon and savor it out on the porch. 62. Make Crepes. Fill the crepes with nutella (a hazelnut spread with a chocolaty taste) and strawberry jam, and coat them with melted chocolate. Add nuts. 63. Enjoy your favorite beverage: - Steaming hot cocoa with tiny marshmallows. - Freshly roasted coffee. - Green tea with honey. - Bailey's cup of coffee, topped off with whipped cream.
64. Apply cooking therapy and make sticky, chewy, messy, gooey desserts.
 Chocolate Caramel-Pecan Soufflé Cake
 Cinnamon-Donut Bread Pudding
 Double-Crumble Hot Apple Pies
 Giant Coconut Cream Puffs
photo credit: Matt McGee
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"He was in love with life as an ant on a summer blade of grass."
-- Ben Hecht
OUTDOOR SUMMER FUN
65. Go for a bike ride. 66. Go for a hike in the woods. 67. Run through your garden sprinkler. 68. Pitch a tent in your back yard and hangout under the stars. Roast marshmallows and tell ghost stories. 69. Count fireflies at dusk. 70. Ride a carousel or a Ferris Wheel. 71. Go sunbathing: lie down on a beach towel reading the latest trashy novel. 72. Go to the beach and walk barefoot in the sand, feeling the sand between your toes. 73. Go to a baseball game. 74. Go to the park and play Frisbee. Let your dog tag along. 75. Watch a movie at a drive-in movie theatre. Make sure to get lots of buttered popcorn and chocolate-covered raisins.
76. Fly a kite.
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"I was always a lover of soft-winged things."
-- Victor Hugo
77. Place a birdbath in a safe spot in your garden and you'll soon have birds dipping and splashing in the water. They're readily available in home improvement stores and online, but you can also make your own using clay or terra cotta plant pots. 78. Buy a bird feeder-or even better, build one-and hang it in a place where you can see it often.
79. Go out and look for hummingbirds. 80. Create a butterfly garden in your yard by choosing butterfly-friendly plants. 81. Hunt for bird nests. When you find one, don't touch it, just look.
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BE A KID AGAIN
82. Play a game you loved as a child:
 play with marbles or jacks;
 jump rope;
 play hopscotch;
 draw with colored chalk on the sidewalk;
 get some Play-Doh;
 or go to a park and hang from the monkey bars.
83. Eat your favorite cereal from when you were a child: Fruit Loops, Lucky Charms, Honey Nut Cheerios, Cap'n Crunch, etc. 84. Go for a walk and come back with at least one "treasure" you find along the way. 85. Build a fort out of cardboard boxes and camp out in your living room. 86. Learn to do the Hula-Hoop. 87. Get a yo-yo. Learn the "Walk-the-Dog" trick and the "Drop in the Bucket" trick. 88. Hang a dart board and practice your aim. 89. Create a prank kit. Make sure it contains all of the following: magic ink, a hand buzzer, a snake in a can, a whoopee cushion, a squirt gun, and a dribble glass.
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"There is nothing in the world more beautiful than the forest clothed to its very hollows in snow. It is the still ecstasy of nature, wherein every spray, every blade of grass, every spire of reed, every intricacy of twig, is clad with radiance." -- William Sharp CELEBRATE AUTUMN
90. Witness the leaves turning brilliant colors -notice the golds, russets, and browns. 91. Jump into a pile of freshly-raked leaves. 92. Go for a walk and take in the clean, crisp autumn air. 93. Buy roasted chestnuts from a street vendor. 94. Wear a funky hat. Chase it when the wind blows it off your head.
CELEBRATE LIFE WHEN IT’S SNOWING
95. Make snow angels. 96. Go out for a walk on the first fall of snow. 97. Build a snowman or snowlady, and be sure to accessorize with pine cones, small rocks, twigs, and anything else you can think of. 98. Go sledding. 99. Build igloos and use them as headquarters for snowball fights with your friends. 100. Curl up in a comfortable chair by the fire while it's snowing outside, reading a good book or magazine.
photo credit: Nicholas_T
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PAMPER YOURSELF
101. Do something that gives you a sense of luxury:
 You can get a leather notebook to jot down your thoughts.
 Purchase a beautiful fountain pen.
 Start collecting fanciful note cards so that you have them on hand when you want to send a hand-written "thank you".
102. Drink champagne for no reason at all. Or better yet . . . mimosas. 103. Find a shampoo and conditioner that smell like water melon. 104. Visit antique stores and flea markets until you find the perfect brass knocker for your front door, one that makes you smile every time you're about to enter your home. 105. Buy the softest terry cloth robe you can find and put it in the dryer just before taking a shower, so that it's nice and warm when you get out of the shower and put it on. 106. Get a hot rock massage.
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CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAYS
107. Watch all of your favorite Christmas movies: "The Santa Clause" with Tim Allen; "Miracle on 34th Street" with Maureen O'Hara; "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" with Jim Carey . . . 108. Take in the smell of Christmas: fresh pine, apples and cinnamon, gingerbread . . . 109. Sit in the dark with the Christmas tree lights on, just watching the tree. 110. Listen to Christmas carols. Better yet: go Christmas caroling. 111. Dress up as your alter ego for Halloween. 112. Watch "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" before going to a pumpkin patch and picking out your very own pumpkin. 113. Gorge on Cadbury Creme eggs and Yellow Marshmallow Peeps during Easter.
114. Decorate eggs for Easter: pour one cup of boiling water in a small glass bowl; add 1 tablespoon of vinegar and a few drops of food coloring. Now start decorating your hardboiled eggs.
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FINAL WORDS
I hope that you enjoyed this ebook and found it helpful. To get even more value out of it, read it in conjunction with my ebook “How to Be More Creative – A Handbook for Alchemists”. It explains that creativity is not the sole domain of the arts but is important in any field, from medicine to business, and from engineering to developing a creative solution to a negotiation impasse. Whatever you do, creativity helps you do it better.
Having the ability to come up with creative ideas can help you each and every day with all of the following:
• Solve everyday problems more efficiently and effectively. • Turn problems into opportunities. • Find new ways of doing things. • Find creative ways to generate more income. • Create new products, processes, and services. • Become indispensable to your organization. • Develop the ability to make do with whatever is at hand to reach your goals. • Generate ideas for artistic pursuits such as writing, drawing, composing, photography, and so on. • Find unexpected ways to resolve conflicts. • Lead a more fulfilling life by being “a creator”.
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