Outdoors

via Flickr user posixeleni

It’s become clear that Mother Nature has June clearly marked on her Google Calendar. Rather than using those few cloudy morning hours as an excuse to refill your antidepressant prescription, here are some ways you can celebrate these gloomy mornings.

1. Go to the beach

Get up early and go to the beach. You know who goes to the beach at 7am on a cloudy morning? No one. Maybe Gordon Ramsay, but that’s it. What is there to do at the beach on a cloudy morning? Plenty.

2. Meditate

I don’t know how to properly meditate either, but you almost have no choice when it’s just you and the sound of the ocean. I’ve found that laying on my back and closing my eyes puts me in a trance-like state. Kinda like when you rub a lobster’s head before throwing it into boiling water. That last sentence was not very zen. Need to take it to the next level? I can give you a mantra. Here it is: Bah-Z00o. That should work. There are some better tips over here.

3. Run

The Santa Monica bike path is one of the few places in the LA area where you can run ten miles without almost being hit by a middle aged woman in an SUV. The only problem is, it can get hot out there. The Santa Monica coast line is so deep that sometimes you don’t feel the ocean breeze when running on the bike path. Take advantage of these June Gloom days by setting a new PR on the bike path. You’ll go faster, further, and yeah, you might see Gordon Ramsay.

4. Write your name in giant letters in the sand

Because, why not?

5. Walk/Bike to work

A lot of people in LA live so far from their job that this is not an option, but if happen to live within a 10 mile radius of your office, you should consider breaking out your bike. It’s fun, and you kinda feel like a bad ass when you manage to swerve just in time to avoid five to ten ridiculously bad LA drivers (that’s five to ten per mile). I bought a bike for around $200 at Veloworx on Lincoln and it’s served me well for the past 4 years.

Same thing applies to walking. If you live within 2 miles of work you’ll find a walking commute surprisingly doable if you listen to a podcast or audiobook. I’ve found it takes me 35 minutes to walk 2 miles to work, though I’m usually 10 minutes late so you might want to make that 45 minutes.

6. Go outside and take some photos

Overcast days are the best days to take photos. They give your photos a soft, even lighting that makes your photos look professional, even if you’re just using Instagram. I don’t know much about photography, but this guy does.

7. Remember why you’re not moving to Portland

I love Portland, and I often think about moving up there. These cloudy mornings are a nice reminder that moving up north would bring with it a lot of SADness, and let’s face it, the northwest doesn’t need another depressed weirdo crying in his latte.

Cheer up, sunshine is coming soon.

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