The Ride | Have Some Fun

DEFINITION; Enjoyment, amusement, or light-hearted pleasure.

Oh, having fun. When was the last time you allowed yourself some light-hearted pleasure? Mine was last night having dinner with my dear friend, Ellen. We drank wine, ate delicious food, and laughed. A fire burned in her wood stove and lively jazz music played in the background. It was a fun Saturday night filled with delight enjoying time with one of my favorite people.

I get it. It is hard to consider fun as one of our own priorities. There's too much to do! There's too much to worry about! There's too much ________. Forget about it I say. There's always time for a wee bit of fun in our daily lives but you must be intentional in wanting it and creating it.

When I explore it is fun because I enjoy discovering new places. Learning floats my boat. It often brings on some kind of awareness which is important to me because I want to grow.  These learning opportunities come from new experiences, which I find quite fun, so out and about I go.

Fun can take place in 30 seconds through pausing and remembering a funny video you watched about two Irish men chasing a bat in the kitchen (please, go look that one up). Just thinking of that YouTube video brings on the onset of belly aching laughs to me. Anticipation of good fun things is also excellent for any doldrums I might be in. I have found that looking forward is an approach to better navigate any potholes of misery. When we seek and enjoy fun it releases all those marvelous hormones and we feel buoyant, happy, more compassionate, more willing, and kinder. Fun helps us spread joyful energy into the world and who wouldn't want that?

So, how do you set about creating more fun in your life when you forgot how to do that? Pause and think or write it out. Look back and dig up a few memories of fun times and not only relish the memory, but take notes to see if it is something that you would like to experience again.

You can recruit a friend or group of pals to go do something together and have fun. One thing I do is convene friends to go hiking. We enjoy the outdoors and have fun in the shared experience that also includes having a meal together.

Fun can take on different shapes and sizes and putting a call out to the universe is a nice way to invite it back in. I also use a daily gratitude practice and a 5-year journal to help capture the moments and memories of fun times I've enjoyed. I love being reminded of a lovely meal out at a new-to-me restaurant from years back that I may have forgotten about.

Fun can be scheduled and it also can be spontaneous. I suggest including both kinds. It also can be experienced alone or be shared, both are marvelous ways to enjoy your life. So, go out or go in and have a day, a moment, of amusement. A ride on a ferris wheel may or may not be involved!