50 things to do before you’re 11¾!

How adventurous was your childhood?

Was every day an action packed bonanza of thrills and spills, exciting expeditions into caves, lakes, rivers, forests? Did you catch frogs? Make dens? Build dams across streams? Climb trees? Play outside until it was too dark to see without a torch? Or did you spend too much time indoors, watching TV, playing video games and avoiding the evil out-door monster?

Take a good look at the image above. Don’t worry if you can’t read the text, you’ll find the list further down, along with a little game!

The article of the same name as this post found on the Daily Mail website caught my attention for a simple reason: I get the feeling kids today don’t understand (and probably never will) what being OUTSIDE really means.

How to use life’s pause button.

Every now and then it’s good to hit the pause button on life and take a look around. Think of it as calling a cease-fire so you can raise your head above the ramparts and check how things are going. Are you winning? Losing? Maintaining the status quo? For the “glass is half empty” folks out there, perhaps you’re feeling life is a case of one step forward two steps back? And for those eternal optimists maybe you’re in a “three steps forward so the rest better catch up” scenario.

If you’re winning – good on yer! Just remember to take a breather and cheer on the rest of the team.

If you’re losing – meh, don’t worry about it, you win some, you lose some.

If you’re standing still – well, that’s no bad thing either, time to reflect on life’s mysteries and plan what’s happening next. I suggest cake.

What if you’re the last one left?

Imagine you’re living in a world without people.

The how and why aren’t important. Choose your apocalypse if it helps fuel your imagination – zombies, deadly virus, alien mass abduction, Biblical event, dimensional rift in space/time – whatever floats your boat.

You’re alone in a silent city.

All those background noises you’ve taken for granted are gone. No more rattle and hum of engines chugging along the streets, no music, chatter of voices or mobile phones. And don’t forget the absence of other sensory input like traffic fumes or endless guffs of fast food fighting for your attention.

There’s just you and the silence.