Number One

Think of the Number One thing you HAVE to do today...maybe it's work, maybe it's cleaning or taking care of a loved one. Does it make you happy, sad, angry? Do you wish you could be doing something other than that "have to" today?

Now, think of something you WANT to do today...it must be realistic. So for example, the idea of running away to a tropical island last minute with no preparation isn't an option here. Think about something you CAN do today that you normally wouldn't do.

Any ideas? If not, let me help.

If your normal day revolves around the same schedule (for the most part) coming and going and getting other family members where they need to go or getting to work on time, leaving work late and doing a daily grind when you come home...then here is a hot list of items you could expand your horizons with.

We all have creativity! God gave it to us. We all just have it in different ways. Some are creative with their words, others with projects, some with physical activity and some with a paint brush - you get the idea. Creativity doesn't have to be a sculpture hanging in an gallery. So God gave us these creative parts inside of us to elaborate our living on the earth (we can involve others in this creativity by the way).

Try something new this week - instead of coming home and going through the daily grind...

• Pray at a different time during the day - count how many times you can offer up prayers on behalf of OTHERS
• Stop by at a friends house that you haven't seen for a while, visit, talk, or drop off banana bread - surprises are good even as adults.
• Visit a friend in the hospital - no matter how uncomfortable it is
• Call a friend for coffee or dinner (if they can't go set up a time for later)
• Try a new workout DVD or Zumba class 
• Grab a friend and have a long brisk walk
• Make plans with a family member (maybe someone who isn't on your top 10 list)
• Invite a neighbor to go for a walk (or go with all their kids and yours to a park to play)
• Try out a new gym if you don't belong to one
• Try to take a new fitness class that you never tried before
• Stop off at the book store and pick up a good book you have been meaning to read (thenmake daily time to do it)
• Write a letter (snail mail style) to an older friend whom the Holy Spirit keeps planting in your mind
• Ask your church where you can help in an unusual way (it can even be a project after Church)
• Call a close friend to tell them you love them and cherish them
• Pick a character out of the Bible and study it (then apply it to your life)
• Cook something you never tried before, then eat it with family and friends
• Create something: Cookbook, journal, address book, floral arrangement, scarf, picture collage and then give it away
• Volunteer (local Food pantry, widow in church, neighborhood weeding, Red Cross, homeless shelter, local school - even if you don't have kids there, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Lunch Buddy to a kid without a Mom or Dad, Library, retirement home, watch kids at  MOPS group or local Bible Study)
• Join A Group (a blog online, facebook group, library book club, aerobics class or boot camp, scrapbook club, older adult center, Bible Study - Like Community Bible Study or Bible Study Fellowship or one in your church)
• Start A Group (start an area MOPS, Bible Study, Christian Book Club in your neighborhood)

But remember to keep the Number One Thing the Number One Thing...God!  Let Him be THE all in all.