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Maybe it goes back to the idea that we all want what we can’t have, but it seems like on the afternoons when there’s a torrential downpour, a snowstorm or skin-searing, 8-degree wind, that’s when I desperately want to spend the afternoon at the park, or the beach, or simply walk around the block in circles, causing my neighbors to question my sanity.

For those days when I’m blanking on what to do instead (and I can’t stand the idea of spending the whole day binge-watching TV), I’m going to turn to this list.

If you have any suggestions for other things to do, let me know and I’ll update this post!

  1. Check out a local stand-up routine at a nearby comedy club.
  2. Scope out magazines at the grocery store.
  3. Play one of these awesome board games.
  4. Create a board game.
  5. Plan a scavenger hunt at a mall.
  6. Bust out the sketchbook or watercolors and paint something.
  7. Take a YouTube yoga class.
  8. Give yourself a manicure/pedicure.
  9. Go to the library. Read a book based on a stranger’s recommendation.
  10. Scour GoodReads for your next book to buy. Check it out at a bookstore to see if it’s truly a good fit.
  11. Visit a coffee shop you’ve never been to before.
  12. Download the most popular free app and test it out. Leave a review.
  13. Bake your favorite cookies.
  14. Solve a Rubik’s cube.
  15. Learn a magic trick.
  16. Test out an adult coloring book.
  17. Play dots or hangman with a friend.
  18. Facebook message 3 people you haven’t talked to in at least 3 months.
  19. See how long you can hold a plank position.
  20. Try a slow cooker meal (and make your home smell great in the process).
  21. Make your own rock candy.
  22. Organize your closet by color and sleeve length (Marie Kondo would be proud).
  23. Try your hand at no-churn ice cream.
  24. Put fresh-cut daisies in water with food coloring, and watch the flowers slowly absorb the color. People will pretty much think you’re a wizard.
  25. Review your Pinterest boards. Commit to actually making one of those pins.
  26. Declare a thumb war against someone.
  27. Stretch your brain with a crossword puzzle. Or five.
  28. Look at your recently called list and call the seventh person listed, just to catch up.
  29. Learn how to create a fishtail braid.
  30. Check out some of the Backyard Scientist’s latest experiments.
  31. Sneak in a Pound workout.
  32. Find 5 things in your home you can donate to Goodwill or another organization.
  33. Check out Meetup for any groups that celebrate something you geek out over. Commit to going to one meeting.
  34. Watch one episode or movie that Netflix recommends for you. (How well does that algorithm know you, anyway?)
  35. Paint your own pottery.
  36. See how many M&Ms you can toss in the air and catch in your mouth in a row.
  37. Watch a local play.
  38. Find the nearest place playing live music. Go there, just for a drink or dessert, and take in a few songs.
  39. Play Laser tag. You are never too old for Laser tag.
  40. Bring the restaurant experience to your home with a copycat recipe, like Red Lobster’s Cheddar Bay Biscuits.
  41. Do indoor putt-putt at one of those glow golf places (often found in the hollowed-out carcass of a former Books-A-Million or Blockbuster).

 

Photo: Francesco Gallarotti/Unsplash

Posted in Fun