happiness

I just spent 70 stress-free minutes on the treadmill. I burned 400 calories and walked 4 miles. For the past 3 days, I have had absolutely nothing on my agenda except relax, shop, relax some more, and spend time on de-stressing. I had been looking forward to this trip since the day Ryan told me it would be possible for me to join him on his work trip.

For a change of pace (haha,pun discovered and enjoyed), I walked at a comfortable pace, didn't watch the time or the calories and read the entire time. The magazine I read was Self and this particular issue was about getting meaning out of life, finding happiness and stability in the now and securing both for the future. One of the biggest things I realized in reading the second half of the magazine (I read the first half by the pool yesterday), was that I need to make some changes on a daily basis starting now.

So, I give you, A List:

1. Spend at least one afternoon or evening catching up with a friend. This evening/afternoon can be spent chatting online, having coffee, laying out by the pool, watching a movie, having dinner or talking on the phone. It should last at least 30 minutes, it should also not include Ryan. I think it is important for us to spend just a little less time together, not because we spend too much time together, but because our time together is sort of quantity heavy and quality light. For example, I often find myself lying on the couch while Ryan plays around with his hobbies. I enjoy this greatly, but only for so many nights a weeks. I wish that we had more things to talk about. The problem is that we spend all of our free time together so our conversations are limited to the things we do at work, not very stimulating. So, if we spent a bit of time apart, we would have interesting things to say about the time we were not together.

2. Start playing World of Warcraft again. When we used to play the game all of the time, I got burnt out. But, at the same time, we had a common goal, a conversation topic and countless hours of fun together. We were not focused on each other, we were focused on playing a game (together). It was only fun when played with one another and it was guaranteed time doing something we were both interested in. For awhile, I convinced myself that I could not afford the game. But really, it would be worth the cost.

3. Start exercising for health. I would like to take the emphasis (and therefore the stress) away from losing weight and direct the emphasis toward the other positive effects of working out daily. The positive effects for me are more energy, higher self-confidence and less napping. I feel like I waste too much of my day napping. Sometimes I nap for over 2 hours which causes problems for my sleep at night and doesn't really refresh me enough to get through the rest of the day.

4. Find other common interest activities for Ryan and I to spend time doing together. I think that I could ramp up my console game playing activities. I think he could spend more time outside of the apartment. On Wednesdays, we could go for a bike ride or for a walk or something. On an idle afternoon, we could hang out at a bookstore for an hour or so. I would like to see us getting out of the apartment a little bit more, okay a lot more. We could even walk to Barnes and noble.

5. Focus less on money. I am saving money on a regular basis both in an IRA and in my savings account. I have more than enough in my regular savings to cover living expenses in the event of an emergency. I am also very far on my way to financial security in my retirement years. I have the things that I want and am satisfied with my material things. I have no desire to cultivate a desire for more material things.

6. Cook more. I would like for Ryan and I to spend more time cooking together. I am no chef by any means, but I think it would be fun to make simple meals together. It would only take 30-45 minutes. It would be cheaper and healthier. I will work on this first and foremost.

7. Blog more. I might one day want to share my blog with others. I would like to refine my writing skills because I believe I have a lot of meaningful and fun thoughts that could be shared with others. Maybe my thoughts are not life-changing or highly profound, but it's better than talking to myself.

8. Stop focusing on marriage and focus on my relationship. I love Ryan and I love the way we interact. If marriage is in the picture, it will come when we are ready. Enough said.

And now, I am going to get ready to go lay by the pool. Which means, I need sunscreen, bathing suit, etc. What a lovely vacation.