One of my basic guidelines for making life better is to latch onto excuses to go outside. Go out more, and do more when you do.
If you need to give something to a friend, don't just drop by when it's convenient. Make a day out of it, catch up, do an activity, whatever. More reasons to spend more time with people you like.
If you have to go out for something, time when you get back with the sunset/sunrise. Most of the time it'll be dull, but now and then you'll get a spectacular view for free.
I once spent a week eating once a day because of circumstance, but it was at a restaurant I liked with a lovely sunset view. It's the defining memory I have of that area now. Makes me happy every time I pass through.
You don't have to go to such an extreme. I wasn't trying to setup that memory, it happened naturally because the circumstances aligned with my habits nicely. The goal is to create more opportunities, not force an experience.
I prefer smaller grocery runs because it makes me go out more often, and I get fresher food and the novelty of picking what I want to eat more often as a bonus. Caps how long I can spend stuck in the cycle of external obligations and rest. Buying food is a time to focus on what I want, no matter how much pressure I'm under in the rest of life. In most cases I magically find there's time for the extra trips, and I feel better at the end of it.
That doesn't mean you shouldn't batch when it makes sense. Errand days are a thing because there's so much overhead to going out. But if you're going out anyway, add on something fun at the end of it.
- Rew
Nightly Notes
I hate who I was in the past, not because I think I was wrong (though I was), but because I was naive. I was trying my best then, I know I was. But I didn't know so many things, and it's painful to see my past self stumbling around blind.
Recently though, I increasingly find myself indebted to my past self. I made many poor decisions, but I've already fixed them as best I can. They don't matter anymore.
It's the little things, like finding something neatly labeled in the first place I was going to look for it. Constant reminders that my past self was trying to make life better, every single day.
That's what keeps me going for tomorrow.
- Rew