I rarely have time anymore, but when I can carve out an hour or so for myself, I love to read. I come from a family of readers and have read many books that my mother read. One of the first “grown-up” authors I remember reading was Erma Bombeck; she was so funny. One of her last columns was a poem about living your life differently if you could. I don’t want to get to the end of my life and feel sorry I didn’t burn the fancy candles. In that vein, here are 8 things I wish I had more time for.

Read

I gave this one away in the intro. Lots of you are probably saying, “well, I’m reading this right now.” But when was the last time you sat down to read with no distractions? I read somewhere that successful people spend at least 30 minutes a day reading. Bill Gates posts books and reviews constantly on his personal site, the selections are incredibly varied. I’ve bookmarked it to refer back to when I need a recommendation.

Exercise

The last doctor I saw had a framed cartoon on the wall in his office, it was a picture of a doctor talking to a patient. The caption was, “Which is more inconvenient, exercising for an hour a day, or being dead for 24 hours a day?” It seemed a bit extreme to me, but the more I read about the benefits of regular exercise, the more I want to keep moving. Of course, weight loss and firmer muscles are a major benefit, but it also increases your energy level. What a great success cycle that is: expend some energy to get even more back.

Relax

How often do you feel totally relaxed? I’m talking about brain shut down, not thinking about work, the grocery list, chores to do, or feeling guilty. There are tons of ways to relax. For many people that means indulging in a hobby. My son-in-law loves to fly fish, and when he is on the water he isn’t worried about anything else. I admire that focus in him. For me, it’s very often gardening. I inherited a green thumb from my grandmother, and when I am digging in the dirt my mind is clear of other thoughts, so I feel relaxed even though my body is active.

Treat Yourself

In a perfect world, a massage would be a regular occurrence for everyone. It’s such a decadent feeling and has great benefits for you as well. One of the things I notice when I get massages is that I sleep so well and wake up more rested. The therapist I see also makes sure that my stress pockets are cleaned out, meaning the spots where I store stress get relaxed.

Catch Up with Friends

Here is another thing that merely takes a bit of time but has unexpected benefits. Being social makes people happier and being around happy people is contagious. I’ll take that easy road to happiness any day!

Look at Old Pictures

Yes, actual pictures (or slides), not pictures on your cell phone. I have a friend who is sorting and cataloging her old pictures. While I don’t envy the task, I am envious of the discoveries. Sadly, many of the pictures were photographed by her late mother, so she can’t get the story behind them. I remember we had the same problem with many of my grandparent’s old pictures. If we had taken the time to sit down and go through them together it would have been fun and informative.

As it is, many of the mystery pictures are still boxed up for lack of knowledge about them. I love seeing the familiar ones, however. I can still hear my grandmother telling me about the time she was crowned the Queen of the Highland Herefords (or something like that) as a teen. The picture of her is beautifully hand-colored and she looks so pretty. Without the time I spent as a child listening to her stories about the pictures, I wouldn’t have known about her days as a beauty queen.

Write a Bucket List

Take the time to write down your hopes and dreams, and don’t forget to include the things you have already done. You might be surprised at how rich your life has already been. I have been blessed throughout my life with travel, so my list would include the many wonderful places I have been. I also have a list of places I still want to go. Don’t think of the list as a must do, think of it as a reason to keep dreaming.

Back to Erma Bombeck

She closed by saying, “There would have been more I love yous … more I’m sorrys … more I’m listenings … but mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute of it … look at it and really see it … try it on … live it … exhaust it … and never give that minute back until there was nothing left of it.”

So, let’s all seize life in whatever way we can. Remember, you can’t take that fancy candle with you at the end. I’m burning mine now, how about you?

Take the Time to Save Money

Actually, take three minutes and sign up with BillCutterz. We will take all the time needed to make sure you are getting the best rates possible on your monthly bills. That way you can take the time to enjoy many of the other things on this list.