I have great friends. ;)

My friends are a delight — which is a huge relief when I’m cranky due to being ill or tired! I’m very lucky they all still put up with me. ;)

One dear on-line friend of many years accepted my recent google+ contact request, then sent me a message: “You literally just gave me the ability to IM you at any moment. I can’t fathom why you thought this was a good idea. It is all cat GIFs from here.”

Another “face to face” friend is always good for fun commentary: “It’s amazing how much sweet potatoes look like Jabba the Hutt.” A pause to consider for a moment, then: “No wonder they’re so bad tempered!”

The same friend some time after helping me move some things: “Of course I’m fine — I’ve got an ice pack down my pants!” He’d wrenched his back earlier. :)

Later on he cracked me up when we were watching a young woman in very high heels walking with a tall man. I wondered bemusedly how anyone could walk for any length of time in heels like that, and he cheerfully announced, “But she needs those extra eight inches!” Another pause for him to consider, then: “Wow, that sounds really awful out of context, doesn’t it?”

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This is for another wonderful friend, who asked how I came up with the 50 new things for my 50th birthday year. Enjoy! :)

First: Start early! Think of all the things you’ve always wanted to do, but for one reason or another never did. Write ’em down. Then ask all your friends what things they think you might enjoy. Write those down too — they’re often both surprising, and cool.

Second: keep in mind that even if it’s a very small thing, if it’s new then it counts! For example, one of mine was figuring out something about my then-new tablet, all on my own. I was quite proud of myself! If it’s brand new to you, then by definition it cannot be insignificant.

Third: find all the more social things on your list, and ask all your friends if they’d like to do any of those things with you. That way you’ll not only have the fun of company — you’ll also have other folks helping you to experience new things too!

Fourth: pick maybe ten or so bigger or more complex things on your list, and promise yourself that you’re going to do at least two of them in the next year! As you start working through all the steps required in order to accomplish any of the ten big things, you’ll find some of them fall by the wayside as not that interesting or feasible — but others start looking easier as you get closer to them.

That’s it, really! It’s pretty easy once you get started. Just keep your current choices from your list in the back of your mind all the time, and try to plan on doing at least one new thing each week or two… and it’ll happen!

For me, eventually, it was almost like everything just started falling into place for wonderful new things to happen — which is lots of fun as well. Also, since that year I have found an interesting by-product of determinedly doing new things: you find yourself continuing to seek out and enjoy fresh experiences. Have fun! :)