5 ways to bring a little peace and happiness to friday (or any other day)

1. Take yourself to lunch. For once, don't eat at your desk, or worse, skip lunch altogether. Tell your coworkers that you have lunch plans. Then on your lunch break, pick up a healthy lunch (or grab your brown bag), and find somewhere quiet to sit and enjoy the view -- a favourite cafe or a park bench or whatever. Take that novel you're in the middle of (or start a new one). Or grab the latest issue of your favourite guilty-pleasure magazine. Or journal. Use your lunch break to escape.

2. Listen to some great music. Instead of listening to the same-old playlist (or foregoing music altogether), listen to something brand new. A great resource: Pandora, where you can input your favourite song or artist, and Pandora will play those tunes plus songs and other artists of the same genre -- all for free. It's a great way to learn about new music (right now, as I type this, I have bossa nova playing nonstop). Tune in while you're getting ready in the morning, plug in earphones while you work at your desk (no need to disturb your coworkers!), listen this evening as you wind down, or before you go out later. Just give your groove thing a little shake.

3. When you get home this evening (or after the kids go to bed), have a cup of tea and light a candle. While you're drinking your tea, look into the flame, and think of nothing but the flickering of the light and the taste of your tea. When your mind starts to wander, bring it back to the flickering of the candle and the taste of your tea. Just for the time it takes you to finish your cup of tea, think of nothing but that flickering flame and that warm tea taste.

4. Buy yourself some fresh flowers or a small new houseplant. 'Nuff said.

5. Grab your camera or camera phone and take a photograph of something pretty. Just because. For bonus points, print out the image and display it somewhere you'll be able to see it every day. Feel free to swap out images (or add more) as necessary. 

For extra bonus points:  upload your images, and share the link to them below in the comments.  Let's see what's pretty on this lucky Friday the 13th day!

(cross-posted at Chookooloonks)

Comments

[kaytee]

here are my photos =)
http://missredphotos.blogspot.com/

[Megan]

I loved this post. It's even relaxing and refreshing just to read these great tips.

[kosenrufu mama]

here my way to bring love and peace....
http://esterdaphne.blogspot.com/2009/03/cosa-amo.html

[Marcie]

Just because it's pretty:
http://www.marciescudderphotography.com/index.php?showimage=714

[Chris]

Seriously? This picture just excites the heck out of me. I cannot wait for spring!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeroldssis/3351229542/

[Alicia]

I needed a moment yesterday!! I'll definitely be squeezing in a few of those things listed above over the next few days!

http://aliandsethinthecity.blogspot.com/2009/03/shadow-in-reflection.html

Beautiful picture!!

[sebrina]

Great advise!! here is my pretty picture!! http://www.flickr.com/photos/sunmamma/3348146499/

[Mod Girl]

Pretty in my front yard:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mod_girl32/3350575849/in/pool-shuttersistersonewordproject

[Puna]

Oh my goodness. I'm going to buy a plant today. I was so happy to read this! I will post my photo later.Wonderful.

[ELK]

this is on my list of things to bring some happiness and peace..Sam's too!

http://www.redorgray.com/2009/03/golden-footsteps.html

[Wayfaring Wanderer]

I know spring is near because the robins tell me so.......


http://www.wayfaringwanderer.com/2009/03/up-and-away.html

[Tracey Clark]

I love this!!! and what a shot of that orchid! yowza.
It's pink friday here in California...here's my wish for today.
http://www.traceyclark.com/blog/2009/3/13/a-wish-for-pink-friday.html
recognize this wish ticket Karen??

[Sue Henry]

This image is my computer wallpaper.

http://suehenryphotography.wordpress.com/2009/03/13/something-pretty-for-friday-the-13th/

[Kari]

Couldn't resist the sun shining through these tulips by my kitchen window.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10811746@N05/3350724631/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10811746@N05/3351547922/in/set-72157603939348314/

[Carmen Torbus]

This is awesome! I love little reminders like this of how important it is to share a little time with myself... really focusing on self... even if for just a few short moments. Bliss baby!

[meg manion silliker]

love it! i'll do it. {as a former tea house owner it's so important to take for yourself and tea allows you to do just that} happy sipping and happy shooting!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/shoot_photography/3349316335/

[hi kooky]

Some quiet morning pretty here:

http://hikooky.blogspot.com/2009/03/something-pretty.html

[Lindsey]

Here's some of my afternoon at a friends' farm: http://www.flickr.com/photos/35947757@N07/
And I need to buy some flowers for myself.

[Charlane]

fantastic advice I think I will take!

[Anne]

As much as I love the look of the winter wonderland I live in, when it starts to melt, there is nothing prettier to me and nothing that warms me up more than knowing I don't need 2-3 glasses of tea a day. :)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/alizw/3350928246/

[~ kristina ~]

Ah, nothing like time in the garden! I'd never tried to shoot my red salvia but I was happy with the results I got.
http://meadowlarkdays.blogspot.com/2009/03/re-seeding.html

[justme]

What do you have for suggestions for shutins or housebound people like me? That is where I am at a loss. I've appreciated being alive and my home as much as I can for now I think. I would love to get out to do some of these things. It's not natural to be inside of the house all of the time, I only get out for doctors appointments every several months and that's it. Sometimes looking at it out of the window makes you happy and other times you pull the shades because you can't bare looking at it and not being able to get out to smell the air and see and feel the beauty. No restaurants either needless to say!

[natala]

a reminder to breathe...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/atheart/3352054670/

thanks for the reminders :)

[jody]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jodyangel/3352078586/

My morning sunshine!

[Kelly]

Thanks for the advice - great ideas! All things I try to do on a regular basis! Here's my shot for today...
http://kellysphotographyblog.blogspot.com/2009/03/sixty-nine-some-bokeh-with-that-tea.html

[Stevie]

Speaking of pretty...... http://steviet365.blogspot.com/2009/03/february-12th.html

This is one of my photos from my StevieT365 project where I take a photo every day for the entire year. This one is actually from Feb. 12th but it fit with the 'pretty' theme.

Thanks for the great post. I really needed some peace and calming today.

[Puna]

Didn't get to the store to buy a pretty plant...but instead posted the moon on this Friday the 13th. I hope I don't bring everyone down...

http://lifesignatures.wordpress.com/2009/03/13/paraskevidekatriaphobia/

[Stevie]

A couple more pretty pictures
http://steviet365.blogspot.com/

thanks for being an inspiration.

[beth]

here's mine...I loved this when I saw it....standing all alone in a field.....now if I could just get the residents to speak and tell me their story !
www.moredoors.blogspot.com
thanks for taking a look !!

[CarrieJ]

I was going to save this one for Love Thursday, but I actually shot it after being inspired by this post. Thanks Karen!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/59369873@N00/3352664006/

[CarrieJ]

Forgot to put the link to the pic on my blog :)
http://thejaxon4.blogspot.com/2009/03/173-peace-and-happiness.html

[Sandra]

love the ideas here....enough so that i made myself a little afternoon treat today.... :-D

http://www.flickr.com/photos/myinspiredheart/3351864453/in/photostream?edited=1

[Carol]

Oh I did that on Friday ! I took myself off to lunch at a lovely cafe, sat and ate a yummy lunch on my own whilst reading a trashy magazine. It was lovely!

[Miss B]

Great friday with these ideas and I will be a lucky day!! For me this friday was a little slow

http://omami.wordpress.com/2009/03/13/leloge-de-lescargot/

[Julie Alvarez]

I have to do this!
Here's something about the beautiful day I spend in my birthday...:
http://juliealvarez.blogspot.com/2009/03/ch-ch-ch-ch-changes-y-una-nota-sobre-mi.html

[Karen Cage]

Ohhhh - I love #3 above. My mind feels like a BB in a boxcar, so being present and calming my mind is difficult right now. However, they say that if you focus on 2 things, you really can't think about anything else. I'm going to try this. Not tonight. Right now. THANK YOU!

[chocolate covered musings]

yeah - i have historically been pretty bad at taking a lunch break of any kind. now that the weather is improving here in london and i have a new 50mm prime lens to play with, i've been taking the camera out places with me

here's some of what i've been snapping: http://www.flickr.com/photos/leoniewise/tags/lunchbreak/

[buy salvia]

This is a really lovely post and i think it will be better of taking the advice mentioned here.