I work from home basically 100% of the time, because my company is fully remote. That leads to not socializing quite that often, so I tend to make plans with friends and family whenever I can. However, have you noticed that when we hang out with people, it’s usually at a restaurant, someone’s place, or sitting at a park.
All of these lead to sitting down for long periods of time, which I’ve already done too much of during the day. I’ve come to a point where I’ve gotten bored of trying out restaurants (most are disappointing, and don’t get me started on the price tag of outside food nowadays), and I’ve become a person who’s just itching to go outside and moving my limbs any opportunity I can get.
One thing that’s stuck with me since childhood was really enjoying playing catch. I think it’s the perfect outdoor and social activity, and can be something you could do 1:1 or with a group.
Here are some great things about it:
- It’s basically free — the one upfront cost is a $1-$5 ball from the dollar store
- You can play it anywhere:
- park
- parking lot
- beach
- backyard
- frontyard
- swimming pool
- sports field
- marina
- even inside if you’re a risk taker with breakables around
- It can either be long-distance throwing, or short-distance, whatever is easier
- You don’t have to be an athlete to be good
- Your stamina won’t get depleted
- You easily get better overtime
- You can comfortably talk during the middle of the game
- Happy dogs will be inclined to come and say hello, this has been my favourite perk
I’ve had some incredible conversations with loved ones just by deciding to go to my neighbourhood park and throw around the ball instead of sitting down somewhere. I’ve found conversations to go deeper and feel more meaningful.
Now you might be wondering, why choose to play catch when you can go on a walk? Both are great options, but believe it or not, it feels therapeutic to play catch, becuase you can take out your frustrations by throwing a ball, and it’s a big plus if the person/people you’re playing with can catch the hard throws!
So go out sometime and play catch with a friend for 10+ minutes. You won’t regret it.