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BREAD FOR THE JOURNEY BLOG@ Rhythms of Grace: a Journey into RestSustenance for the journey into rest and peace
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THIS SERIES: SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFE  If possession multiplies the amount of stress in our lives—see last post—then a good way of promoting rest is by enjoying things without owning them. And if debt is choking our lives, then it makes sense to find low-cost, or free leisure activities. We can start with our immediate locality. Talking to two young friends with small children, living in a beautiful coastal area, I was astounded to hear that they never went to the beach. Hours of free play available and they never utilised it! But how often is this the case? Many times, the people who really enjoy our local facilities are visitors; we often just stop noticing and appreciating things which are very familiar. What facilities have you got near you? Perhaps there are municipal parks and gardens; somewhere to meet friends, take a walk or have a picnic. What about local museums or libraries? Many museums and art galleries in UK cities are free, and often have interactive displays and interesting events. Libraries usually host a variety of activities for children and adults, as well as being the obvious supply of reading material and other media. Perhaps your community also has a toy library?  Then there’s the seashore, countryside, country parks, forests, canals and waterways—within reach of most, and potentially the source of hours of pleasure. Why not learn a new skill—orienteering or bird-watching, breadmaking or Italian perhaps? Alternatively, why not take cycle rides, climb a mountain; go beach-combing or make pebble creations on a river bank? There are YouTube instructional or inspirational videos on a vast range of hobbies and interests. Perhaps you could revive the ancient art of ‘picnicking’! From many recent conversations, it seems that this has gone out of fashion; and yet it is a much more budget–friendly way of eating out—and not just for families. It doesn’t have to be limited to sunny summer days either; flasks of hot soup and other seasonal food brighten up chilly autumn and winter days out. One of my children’s happy memories was a three-family bbq in the mist and snow at some local woods one New Year’s Day. Lastly, use your creative imagination to come up with ‘home-made’ indoor activities to share with family and friends. ‘Entertaining’ suggests performance; ‘hospitality’ is about sharing life and laughter. Simple home-grown entertainments are often the ones which lodge in people’s memories as special times of fun and fellowship.  NEED INSPIRATION?The internet is full of ideas; for example: https://secretldn.com/free-things-to-do-london/ https://secretnyc.co/free-things-to-do-nyc/ https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/escape-into-autumn https://www.moneynuggets.co.uk/ways-spend-no-spend-weekend/ https://visitpeakdistrict.com/blog/free-things-to-do-in-the-peak-district-and-derbyshire We are surrounded by ‘free stuff’ if we have eyes to see—let’s enjoy it! THIS WEEK’S GRACE RHYTHM:
NEXT WEEK: 4. SIMPLY CHILD'S PLAY A value system we need to pass on to our children and grandchildren... GET IN TOUCH!
[Photo credits: Erik Mclean (free books); Johannes Plenio (forest path); National Cancer Institute (family game);
Katie Rainbow (hand) @ Unsplash, with thanks]
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