Monthly Challenge - November 2016

Isaiah 35:1-2  The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the LORD, and the excellency of our God.

I am coming to the end of my list of ideas for challenges. Consequently, I am seriously thinking of dropping them next year. I know some readers like them, but I think I need a break or else to morph this into something different. We'll see what happens. In the mean time, let's make the most of the last two. :-)

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Play a game or sing with family or friends.

And/Or

Buy or pick fresh flowers for you house or apartment.

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It is easy to get preoccupied with the things going on in the world, social media, the internet, and life in general and forget to spend time just doing something fun with the people we love. Making time to play a game or sing together is important because it gives us a chance to make good memories and to build our relationships.

Fresh flowers are good for cheering us up, but they do a lot more than that. Researchers have found that fresh flowers actually make some significant differences in a variety of areas of life.

A Rutgers University study found that the link between flowers and your satisfaction with life is far more important than previously thought. Having flowers in your home increased happiness, reduces depression and anxiety and actually can increase emotional contact with friends and family. A separate study by Harvard University found the same results – increased compassion, feeling less negative, and more energy at work. In a trifecta of flower research, Texas A & M University found that flowers and plants in the workplace improve problem solving skills and increase creativity." [Source. Disclaimer on some content.]

You can also pick a few branches with colorful fall leaves on them if you still have them in your area. Just be sure to put them in water as you would flowers if you want them to stay fresh and bright.

Enjoy!