Part of overall wellness is social wellness and one way to boost it is to get out and walk. Walk to the bank or the post office – that is, if you don’t do that on a regular basis.
· Get and give smiles.
· Have a little conversation with a new face.
· Make a new face into a friendly person in your neighborhood.
· Take the time to be engaged with your community. Seek out your neighbors. Visit in the doggie park, even if you don’t have a dog. Dog park people are like modern day smokers. You see them all hanging out because they have something in common, but they are just regular people too. Go and meet the dogs and the owners in your neighborhood.
And here’s a really good one: go to the library! I haven’t had a library card in years. I am spoiled, buying the books I want to read or getting hand-me-downs. Back in the day, your library card was a major piece of personal identification. It took up a whole slot in your wallet. It meant that you were a person. This could be an overblown view of the past, but my mother was a librarian and my Dad’s main activity was reading in the library, so in my early life, my library card was like my gold American Express card in terms of power.
Besides being great for social wellness, in the library there are rows upon rows of books that will empower you. Whatever subject you want, they have something there for you to borrow. You can even get several books on a subject all at once, it’s OK. We used to call that research. How cool is it to walk out of the library with a bagful of books. Like you just went shopping, but didn’t spend any money. In this economy, it’s a great way to feel wealth in your hands without causing yourself any hardship. Returns can be made without a receipt. When you return books, you can keep getting more.
When you borrow a book, there is also a sense of the present. Generally, I think you take a book out for two weeks. Having a time limit (which can always be extended if necessary) means that you need to keep going with the reading. No complacency allowed. You can’t have that book lying around unattended for months while you read other things or just forget about it. Give it back if you’re not into it. Get something else. Be responsible in an old-fashioned small way. Take pleasure in an old-time custom. Hey, and get to know the librarian. Check out the community bulletin board – a real hard copy bulletin board. I will have that library card before the week is out. I’ve convinced myself.