Intentional solitude. Between work and my bride, I don't get much time truly to myself. I've found that time spent by myself away from electronic gadgets recharges and recenters me. The three ways I typically excercise solitude are: 1)I'll go shooting in the woods for an hour, then spend 1-2 hours picking up brass and just sitting on the tailgate soaking in the sounds and smells of the forest, 2) I take long walks(3-10 miles), and 3) take the boat out alone and anchor for a few hours.

LS1K,
You have mail to your profile email.

Locked away in my man cave ... my reloading room, with a Lenny Susskind lecture playing in the background while I work-up loads and run my presses.

quote:

Originally posted by 1s1k:

....What definitely gives me a nice recharge is flying electric RC airplanes. It takes your total focus so everything else in life just drops away.

Any suggestion for a decent beginner plane?

I ride my motorcycle but the season has ended for that. But I can always take a walk in Park Cemetery (it actually is a city park) or Presque Isle Park. Walked the Cemetary today and other than the permanent occupants, I had it all to myself.

Play my guitar for 20-30 minutes every day.

Play chess on the internet for a while every day.

Dragon and Tiger Medical Qigong along with some Tai Chi every day.

Watching DVDs with my wife for a couple of hours every evening.

Edited to add listening to classical music.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Ogie, November 16, 2022 11:15 PM

quote:

Originally posted by Ogie:
Play my guitar for 20-30 minutes every day.

Play chess on the internet for a while every day.

Dragon and Tiger Medical Qigong along with some Tai Chi every day.

Watching DVDs with my wife for a couple of hours every evening.

Chess.com ?

quote:

Originally posted by tigereye313:

quote:

Originally posted by Ogie:
Play my guitar for 20-30 minutes every day.

Play chess on the internet for a while every day.

Dragon and Tiger Medical Qigong along with some Tai Chi every day.

Watching DVDs with my wife for a couple of hours every evening.

Chess.com ?

Usually FICS which I have been using since the 1990s, or lichess, or Playchess.com.

Hunting, but I really like crossbow hunting. Just getting out and away from it all. Watching the sun come up from the woods, watching the sun go down. Being outside, away from it all, clears my mind.

quote:

Originally posted by Ogie:

Usually FICS which I have been using since the 1990s, or lichess, or Playchess.com.

Gotcha.

quote:

Originally posted by tigereye313:

quote:

Originally posted by Ogie:

Usually FICS which I have been using since the 1990s, or lichess, or Playchess.com.

Gotcha.

Just to add that lichess is the best of those that I mentioned.

Guitar, bicycle ride, or jiu jitsu.

If my daughter is home, just laying on the couch and watching YouTube videos with her does the trick.

quote:

Originally posted by Ogie:
Just to add that lichess is the best of those that I mentioned.

Will check it out, thanks!

quote:

Originally posted by ridewv:

quote:

Originally posted by 1s1k:

....What definitely gives me a nice recharge is flying electric RC airplanes. It takes your total focus so everything else in life just drops away.

Any suggestion for a decent beginner plane?

There are a bunch of them but I really like the one I linked below. It comes with everything you need including a transmitter that is already programmed with a “safe” mode. It basically doesn’t let you bank too much. It is also made out of EPP foam which is way more durable than the typical cheap beer cooler foam. It has a 24.4” wingspan so you will be able to fly it at local ball field because it will fly much slower than the typical larger airplanes of this type.

There are some videos of it from various YouTubers at the bottom of the link I provided.

https://www.hobbyzone.com/rc-a...4R.html?AFFID=422294

Exercise usually provides a very good reset.

When things seem at their worst, I just lay on the floor with a Moody Blues album. Takes me back to those formative years

When Covid hit, it really forced our family to slow down. We spent a lot more time together, went fishing, took walks, stuff like that. I found that I really enjoyed it. Then I got diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, and I'm trying to keep that under control mostly through diet and exercise, so these days I get up and run every morning, and also try to take a walk in the afternoon.

I'm not someone who loves running, but I've found joy in being up and about before everybody else, watching the sun come up on my days off (I'm out way before that on work days), and seeing all the animals (deer, possums, raccon, sandhill cranes, and even the occasional owl) out and about. This morning was the first day for ice and snow on the road, which made running a little sketchy, but it was cool seeing all the animal tracks and realizing how much life is going on all around us that we don't even know about.

My wife and I also try to take daily walks in the afternoon with the dog. It gives us a chance to spend time together and talk that we don't otherwise get, and also helps with my blood sugar. It's really relaxing and enjoyable.

Fishing is another big one. We have a little boat and a bunch of lakes withing 10 minutes of the house, so we sepnd a lot of time out there getting lines wet. For a while it was mostly spent baiting and untangling lines for the kids, but they're getting old enough now that that's less of a problem and it's a nice relaxing time wih the kids catching fish.

A big one that I can't do on a regular basis is spending time in the mountains out west in Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana. There's just something about the clear air, few people, and majestic scenery that brings me peace. We didn't get to go this year, and it looks like next year may be out as well, and I'm already missing it.