Community Thoughts: How You Spend the "Good Days"

RA is not only painful, but can also take up a lot of time! We wanted to find out how people in our community spend time when it's not devoted to symptoms, treatments, and other things that can accompany RA, so we asked our Facebook family: "How do you like to spend your time/energy when you’re feeling good (or good enough!)?" Check out the responses, and add yours in the comments!

I work on catching up!

• By the looks of my house I need to spend some energy to cleaning.
• Cleaning, laundry, cooking meals to pop in the freezer for the days I can't cook.
• If I can unload and load the dishwasher all at the same time, I consider that an accomplishment.
• When I have energy I use it for cooking, cleaning, and laundry usually.
• If I'm having a particularly good day and can do more than one or two things before collapsing, vacuuming/mopping the floors and tidying up the bathrooms will be done.
• Give the house a good cleaning
• To me as good as it gets...is good enough to go to a grocery store instead of shopping in a mini mart. A good day it takes me two hours to change the bedding instead of 4. I really don't understand the concept of good anymore, it has been that long.
• I have learned to do what's necessary and have a little fun but try very hard not to over do.
• The only thing is my pace is never fast enough for everyone else's
• Yard work
• Polishing and Organizing my Castle!
• I have to work feeling bad or not.

I try to enjoy myself!

• I want to remember how fun felt. The giddy til you almost pee feeling. No diamonds, trips, gifts. Fun.
• "I stay away from negativity - works like a charm!
• I like to spend that time on me, reading or listening to personal development books, modified workout, and learning as much as I can to help others.
• Spending time going out with my grandkids..movies, shopping, lunches. Whatever they want to do. They ALWAYS make me HAPPY.
• Spend more time with family and friends going camping on swimming going hiking enjoying nature those are the things I would like to do.
• I just like to walk my dog as long as the both of us can go and still get back.
• Going out with my kids! Trying to make the best of a good day.
• I adore spending quality time with my folks and friends.
• I'll spend time in my garden if I get a good day when it's nice outside also.
• Hang out with friends. Spend a day out with my daughter doing fun stuff. Sketch or sew.
• I would love to go dancing again.
• knitting
• Running, lifting weights, dancing, refinishing furniture and my house, hanging out with my friends and family, hiking, and just being outside!
• Going out with my family... Take the kids to the park, go out to eat, take the kids to 'Build a Bear'... LOVE IT!!
• I go out walking and enjoy the outdoors. It makes me feel happy to have the sun shining on me
• There is so much exploring we want to do with the puppies. I don't want to spend all my time sitting in the car looking out the window at things. I want to get out and experience them.
• Spending time with and actually playing with my 4 y.o. daughter (though games such as tag or going for a walk are out) On my really good days I like to bring her somewhere fun could be just a couple hours at the playground or a trip to the aquarium, these days are few and far between but they are my beams of sunlight through the clouds
• Going fishing or camping
• I try do a little gardening with the help of hubby
• Church family and friends.
• Just getting out of the house.
• I love to make people around me laugh.
• Family
• Playing with my grand kids.
• Volunteer at local agencies, extra time with grandma, the beautiful park
• Scrapbooking or buying Scrapbooking stuff online or sorting and organizing scrapbook stuff. Did I mention Scrapbooking? My favorite thing to do. Mostly I do laundry read the mail paper and Facebook.
• Swimming, reading Bible, grandkids, kids, cool long drives, beautiful scenery, fantastic food, travel, shop
• Working out
• Painting
• Sewing
• Garage sale-ing with family. Going to church, oh soo many things.

Making up for lost time...

• Just normal stuff I never feel like doing
• What I would LIKE to do: play with the grandkids, go on a motorcycle ride w/hubby and friends, picnic, nature walk, dig in my garden, cook a great meal. What I would probably end up doing: laundry, scrub floors, deep clean the house, .... all the things I feel guilty that I can't take care of as I would like to anymore.
• On a good day ... what I would do is drive up into mountains find a not to difficult trail and hike to a beautiful vista and just take in the beauty of those moments.
• I like to do small amounts of cleaning and some cooking, along with helping my kids with things. It's wonderful to really feel like a mom and my old self for just a little while.
• Doing things that needed to be done before I got RA.
• atching up on things i couldnt do when I wasn't [feeling] good enough

How about you? What do you like to do during the "good days" - or when you feel good enough? Share your experience in the comments below!