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productive downtime

To Do at Stoplights

Rachel Lindsay

gardener

Posts: 1346

Location: Tennessee

872

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posted 1 year ago

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Pick something about your day to make a Permies post about when you return

Long light? Maybe make a note on your car window with a dry-erase marker

or make note in your car notebook stowed carefully in the glove box

Ask the "5 Why's" about your errand, and see what this tells you about your life

Think of 3 things you are especially grateful for today

Recall one of your funniest memories and chuckle over it (bonus points if you can share it with someone in the car)

Call somebody you really like

Pat yourself on the back if this errand is one you've been putting off for awhile

“Every human activity is an opportunity to bear fruit and is a continual invitation to exercise the human freedom to create abundance...” ― Andreas Widmer

John F Dean

master steward

Posts: 6968

Location: southern Illinois, USA

2536

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posted 1 year ago

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When I was in school, I would post notes on index cards and attach them to my sun visor.

At my age, Happy Hour is a nap.

Anne Miller

steward

Posts: 16058

Location: USDA Zone 8a

4272

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posted 1 year ago

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Rachel Lindsay wrote:
Think of 3 things you are especially grateful for today
Recall one of your funniest memories and chuckle over it (bonus points if you can share it with someone in the car)

I like these two.

The others suggestion are good though I would have to pull into a parking place so as not to be holding up traffic for an hour or two ...

Invasive plants are Earth's way of insisting we notice her medicines. Stephen Herrod Buhner
Everyone learns what works by learning what doesn't work. Stephen Herrod Buhner

Michael Helmersson

gardener

Posts: 704

Location: Geraldton, Ontario -Zone 1b

274

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posted 1 year ago

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Back when I owned an old Jeep, stop lights were an opportunity to do minor repairs and routine maintenance.

“Uncertainty is an uncomfortable position. But certainty is an absurd one.”
― Voltaire

Melissa Ferrin

pollinator

Posts: 376

Location: 18° North, 97° West

134

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posted 1 year ago

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I'm with Anne, that either my stop lights are too short or my thoughts are too long!

But after having twins I had diastasis recti and found that I could do Tupler technique exercises while seated in the car. That's what I did at every stoplight and I no longer have diastasis recti. I did the exercises only at stoplights over the course of three years.
My twins are now 18 so this was a while ago. I had a 1972 VW beetle at the time and I've very short legged so I sat pretty up right to reach the clutch which had to go all the way to the floor to work.

pax amor et lepos in iocando

Douglas Alpenstock

master pollinator

Posts: 4987

Location: Canadian Prairies - Zone 3b

1351

posted 1 year ago

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I'm an old fashioned idiot -- I listen to the radio when I'm driving. Yeah, I have every mode of recorded/stolen music at my fingertips, but where's the kick in hunting through channels for just the right song, dodging ads, and railing at DJs when they natter over top of the best intro ever.

And sometimes when I'm rocking out to the right song, and singing along, I'll look around to the other cars waiting, and somebody else is obviously rockin' the same tune, to the exact same beat, and singing along, and there's a bond for a fleeting moment as we glance out of our side windows.

Some of those fellow people-who-get-it are a lot younger than you might think, and have all music available, but dig the thrill of the hunt. And the side glance of community. Good luck topping that, Spotty!

Steve Zoma

Posts: 708

149

posted 1 year ago

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A week ago I started to shut off the radio while driving and the realized how distracting it was. Since my commute to work was a half hour, that was an hour of good strong thoughts I was robbing myself of. I just bought another house that will be my primary residence, and now my commute to work is only 18 minutes, but going without a radio has really made me realize how much time I was wasting. Even 18 minutes, twice a day, five times a week, for fifty weeks adds up to a lot of thought-generation time.

That is just something to consider I guess: we only have 24 hours in a day so if you are going to be in a car, consider shutting off the radio and generating thoughts instead.

(Note: said by a guy who dislikes music anyway.
So does my girlfriend)

Gary Numan

pollinator

Posts: 261

Location: Central Virginia, Zone 7.

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posted 1 year ago

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When the light is red, I floss.

Determining the difference between Bockings 4 and 14 is done by consensus. It's like trying to identify the difference between twins.
"There are other spots on the web to get my fix proving someone is an idiot but no other place for what I get here." -- former permie Brice Moss, 2012.

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Anne Miller

steward

Posts: 16058

Location: USDA Zone 8a

4272

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posted 1 year ago

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We have changed our normal routine of only going to town when we have to, which was three to six months to going once a month because dear hubby really likes to have breakfast.

That is the only time we might see a stop light, though actually unless we go to the big city, I don't think there are any.

We like listening to audiobooks for the two-hour trip. Usually, we listen to Bill O'Reilly's series of books.

Since I am a big music fan and dear hubby is too if we are not listening to the audiobooks we listen to the one radio station or a CD.

Invasive plants are Earth's way of insisting we notice her medicines. Stephen Herrod Buhner
Everyone learns what works by learning what doesn't work. Stephen Herrod Buhner

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