"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." ... Romans 12:2
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Do you remember G.A.'s? You know, Girls' Auxiliary? I barely can, but I do recall making little gifts for those mysterious people called "shut-ins" and well, this morning I thought, "What a dreadful name--"shut-ins". Talk about your negative spin (as G.A's, we were taught to feel terribly sorry for them.Hmm... that explains a lot.).
Some people can't leave their homes. Some won't because they don't want to. Others leave only sometimes for appointments or special gatherings. But to call them shut-ins? I hope that term has, like my childhood, faded away, for there are better names:
Homebodies.
Happy homebodies.
Lovers of Home.
Choosers of home.
Non-choosers of home.
People who mostly stay home.
Not homebound, infirmed, invalid, certainly.
But "shut-in"--to my mind--is especially bad and brings a picture of a little, elderly woman behind a prison-like-door as it's clanging shut. Ack.
One of my major goals for this blog? To give you who stay home a lot--for whatever reason--many fun, creative ideas of what to do there. For oh, what you can do at home, especially if you have a computer!
You can:
Create something, even a small thing.
Redecorate a table top or a corner or a whole room.
Read hundreds of free books by way of a free kindle.
Read the books in your home or ones you order online or by way of your local library.
Watch lots of interesting tv shows through a myriad of ways online or by cable.
Research what you've always wanted to know more about--take online courses or make your own path.
Discover others' creative ideas which then inspire more of your own.
Play with your pets.
Invite a friend over for coffee or tea and good conversation.
Clean your home to make it a more pleasant place.
Visit other countries by way of travel videos or documentaries.
Pray for others.
Wear an apron, play retro music, read vintage ladies' magazines and pretend it's 1950.
Become a better cook, photographer, seamstress or crafts person.
Watch your world from your window. Greet the mailman. Wave to passersby.
Rearrange your furniture. Garden, exercise, paint a wall.
Clip coupons.
Write a book about what you know.
Paint a picture for your walls
Research ways to become healthier naturally.
Crochet a bedspread or embroider a tablecloth
Join an online group or book club.
Hold a weekly book club or home Bible study group in your home.
Order what you need, even groceries, from sites online.
Send paper cards,ecards, emails or Facebook posts to cheer others.
Sit on your porch with a neighbor.
Tend flowers in a window flower box or keep houseplants or grow herbs on a windowsill.
Babysit a friend's cat or her child or houseplants.
Spend much time with God. Meditate upon Bible truths.
You can think of things I've forgotten, I'm sure.
I believe that--when we step into Heaven--we'll realize how much better Life down here could have been if only we'd approached it differently and not made so many darn excuses nor put so much blame upon people or circumstances.
Really, I do.
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"Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech." ... 1 Peter 3:10
"One of the first signs of a Spirit-infused life is enthusiasm." ... A.B. Simpson
#Heaven on Earth is a choice you make, not a place you find! ...Paula White
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I finally lemon-oiled my sweet little table (who was ever so thirsty).
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Over at Netflix I'm watching Secrets of Selfridges and finding it super interesting because of Mr. Selfridge's having thought way out of the box of his times!
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Free kindle book:
Confessions of a Prayer Slacker
There are certainly a lot of things to do at home and you made a great list. I need to do more netflix watching and reading to get away from the "I must be always busy" problem that is causing so much pain in my body.
ReplyDeleteI am blessed to have a lovely sunroom where I can sit and watch the world go by. (and I NEED to do this more often.
Jan Maine
I so love being at home...I often have to remind myself I need to go out of the home territory now and then. My goal is to leave the house once a week at least and at most too, as far as I'm concerned, lol. I am never bored, never lack for things to do and never ever feel lonely.
ReplyDeleteHi Debra long time no see, I got very bored with Facebook because its so non personel. As you can see I still can't spell but I'm working on it. Stop by my site I'm starting to blog again. I was so happy to see your still here with your inspirations and happy homemaking. I hope is going well for you! See you soon.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Teri. I would rather be home than away from home. As you have said there is no end of things you can do there and it is so fun! :-) One thing you forgot but I remember. You can take a cat nap if you need it! :-) Who's to say no? lol
ReplyDeleteThe sad thing to me as the Girl Scouts and the church groups make things{ or sing to } for people during the holidays but tend to leave them alone during the rest of the year. :(
I have started to watch The Paradise. Like Mr Selfridge it is another show about a store from that time and its characters. Also on Netflix. Sarah
I'm so grateful to be able to spend much of my time at home! I still remember those crazy years when I was trying to work full time and taking college classes, plus juggling my marriage, home and family. Wish I could have told that younger "me" that the very best place to invest my time and energy was under my very own roof. Ah...I did learn the lesson in my 40s, so it didn't take forever to wise up!!
ReplyDeleteI just found Clickety-clack on your blog list. Thanks for sharing this site with us! I had never seen it before. Sarah
ReplyDeleteJan--I hope you'll feel better soon and your sunroom sounds like a wonderful place in which to relax.
ReplyDeleteTerri--you sound a lot like me, though when I have access to our car, I do like to make a daily trip somewhere. :) In the old days I used to get bored, but during these past 15 years fortunately that almost never happens and I do feel 'healed' from it.
Hi Pearl! You were one of my first readers who used to often comment and I'm glad to see you're back to blogging! I'll have to come over there and visit you. I still love Facebook, though, and find it such a good place to show people we care about what is on their mind and about them as people. :) Thanks for stopping by!
Sarah--thanks for recommending The Paradise! I'll have to check it out (it's great that you're already familiar with the Selfridges documentary--wasn't it really interesting?). And yes! Clickety Clack is written by a very special young woman who is quite the writer and thinker. I enjoy her posts, also.
Pam--I'm glad that you, too, enjoy being home. Isn't it the best, most creative place to be? :)
Thanks, Everyone! Blessings, Debra