By Piper Bayard

I always say the only thing worse than working out is not being able to, and that’s why I go to the gym. Even when we’re doing our best, though, those inevitable illnesses and injuries come along that keep us semi-bedridden for a while. I’m currently going through one of those times myself.

I find the challenge is to keep my spirits up and not give in to thoughts about how long it will take to recuperate, but rather focus on what I can do today. The most important way to accomplish this is to keep up a variety of character building, brain stimulating activities. These are some of the things I’ve found to pass the time during my breaks from reading and writing.

image by Poptart at wikimedia commons

10 Ways to Keep Occupied In Bed

  1. See how close I can roll to the edge of the bed without falling off.
  2. Practice burning the edges of satin ribbons with a lighter without turning them black. (It’s an oddly addictive activity. Don’t judge.)
  3. Make a genuine effort at levitating the dust off of the ceiling fan and into the trash.
  4. Howl back at the neighbor’s dog.
  5. Make prank phone calls from my cell phone to the house phone downstairs.
  6. Watch all episodes of Breaking Bad.
  7. Mourn the fact that there isn’t another season available.
  8. Repeat 6 and 7 with Game of Thrones.
  9. Pause to wonder if J. “R.R.” Tolkien and George “R.R.” Martin are related.
  10. Contemplate changing my name to Piper “R.R.” Bayard and writing high fantasy. Suppose Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston would star in the movie?

What do you do to keep your mind active when you’re stuck on bedrest?

Besides the obvious, that is. We do keep a PG-13 blog here. 🙂

All the best to all of you for staying gainfully occupied.