Ever notice how the best things in life are often free? An afternoon hiking trails alone, mushroom picking with a friend, a potluck dinner party that turns into a music jam, or an evening curled up with a book by the fire may be along the lines of your most cherished memories.
When it comes to entertainment, thinking low cost and local usually results in the added good feeling of having a light footprint. We all look forward to time with loved ones enjoying the simple things in life, like food, nature and art.
Fortunately, we live in a community where non-consumption is a natural go-to in our down time. As the temperatures cool and light fades, we have the habit of gathering together, exploring our majestic backcountry, and entertaining each other from the comfort of home.
Fall is a great time to pick up that long-neglected book or stop by Powell River Public Library to peruse the shelves for a novel to cozy up with. Libby is a free app that allows library card holders to borrow audiobooks to listen to at their leisure. Popular audiobooks can be put on hold just like regular books.
You may also enjoy a reading group, to give yourself more motivation. If writing is a passion, you are probably already finding moments to put pen to paper to journal, or capture that creative poem. If not, then getting involved with a writing group might inspire.
Spending time outside doesn’t need to involve expensive toys, and if it does, you just might have a friend who would lend that boat, quad, or backyard stove.
Tapping into the power of sharing can have rewards that extend beyond your wallet. Every time we share, we are practising good care for the earth by reducing our collective impact on our limited resources.
The outdoors can also be enjoyed in all kinds of weather: storm watching from a friend’s deck, stargazing from a canoe on a lake, or drinking tea by firelight at a sunset beach.
Still, you may prefer sticking closer to home as the weather turns. Games nights, spontaneous indoor fashion shows and refining your fix-it skills are among the possibilities.
Without a doubt, you have friends and family willing to gather for fun, or even to share some of their skills with you. Maybe this is the year you finally learn to knit, change your car’s oil, or bake a pie.
More and more of us are realizing our time spent relaxing and recharging can also be low-impact. Rather than thinking of ourselves as consumers of entertainment, we are redefining ourselves as co-creators and participants.
With so much natural beauty and such an abundance of free resources, we are in the unique position to experience a world of fun without it costing the world.
Let’s Talk Trash is qathet Regional District’s waste-reduction education program.
