I finished end of April.
One day I realized I was doing things "for no particular reason" as Forrest Gump would say.
I take pictures of the butterflies in my garden. Just because I am interested in what frequents my flowers. I patrol my veggie patch and make food from scratch. My son is getting married in two months and I am designing a jacket from Indian silk with a hand beaded and freeform sewn design on the back. One day a friend and I were going for a ride and we kept stopping to take pictures of the rolling hills, old barns etc. I go to the pottery studio when no-one is there because they are all working and play with the pottery wheels, and look at all the work the professional potters are doing at the studio. DH and I stroll through the nearby state land and smell the smells and experience nature. Last night we went for a picnic at a nearby lake, sat on the banks and felt the cool breeze in the mid ninety weather. We go to the many free or small fee concerts around here and just listen to the music. We read extensively. I keep notebooks of the creative ideas I have involving my various art forms. And I do some volunteer work at the local zoo and soup kitchen.
Why? Because we can.
when you can do this- realize you are spending your time doing the things you enjoy and not catering to the bean counters it will sink in. DH loves reading the paper cover to cover every morning and helping his Mom with a bunch of paperwork, or a friend who is really into yoga, or another who is resurrecting an old motorcycle and another who has a gigantic veggie garden, and even one who spends a huge amount of time volunteering at the local Salvation army... whatever it is you are doing it "for no particular reason." Besides you just wanna.