On our virtual call this evening, my therapist asked what I do for fun. We’ve had this conversation before, but this time I felt a little … panicky is the best word I can think of for the feeling.
There were two ways to answer her question. One is that I don’t do much for fun. I enjoy cooking soup from scratch, and I’ve recently gotten into baking sourdough bread. I like to read, but often choose nonfiction so I can learn, too. Is enjoying some thing the same as fun? I’m not sure.
But two, I don’t even really know what I would consider fun. That was troubling. My therapist threw out a few ideas — some of which I do, or know I should do, but I do them or would do them not because it’s fun, but rather because I know it is or would be good for me. For example, I sit outside for a few minutes in the morning and at night because being outdoors is supposed to help mood, decrease depression and anxiety. I do it because I want to check it off my list labeled “Self-care.”
I can name things that I would say are not fun, like going outside and blowing bubbles (unless I’m with my grandchildren), getting a manicure or a pedicure (I don’t like strangers touching my hands or feet), or going on a picnic. And absolutely nothing silly. No way.
I used to love playing pool, especially 8-Ball. I guess it was fun, but it was also serious business. I wanted to learn and improve technique and I wanted to win, which I did sometimes. When I lost, though, it was no longer fun.
It seems to me that some time ago, I made it a goal to try to do something fun, or something that brought me joy, every day. But again, it was part of my daily task list, something to check off. That lasted a day, maybe two — because I couldn’t think of much.
I’m not trying to be obtuse. I really don’t know what I’d consider fun. Isn’t that sad? At my age.
So that’s my assignment for myself: make a list of fun things I can start doing to provide balance to the workaholic, deadly serious me.
Ideas welcome!
YSM | ink 
Wow! Do you know, I’ve never really thought about wh
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Good morning Karen:
You indicated, “… some of which I do, or know I should do, but I do them or would do them not because it’s fun, but rather because I know it is or would be good for me.”
Oohwee! I often recall, with some residual glee, the last time I truly had fun, and how it ended as mom had to walk me to Cedar Crest School for the first day of class!
Jingle Jimmy,
PhB, BS, CPC Rtd
that tall, skinny, bald, old, and ugly guy
a.k.a. two knives
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Write about it! I want to hear that story!!!
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To me ‘fun’ is anything that brings the tiniest smirk, grin, smile or all the way into a full blown belly laugh … it’s those smirk times where you have to pay a little more attention to the concept of ‘fun’ in order to catch yourself having said ‘Fun!’
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Hmmm. That’s a brain twister! 😀
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Hey Super-girl:
You advise, “… some of which I do, or know I should do, but I do them or would do them not because it’s fun, but rather because I know it is or would be good for me.”
“Oohwee:” I recall, with residual glee, the last time I had fun, and its aftermath as mom force-marched me to Cedar Crest School for the first day of class.
Even so, Mrs. Price (our Kindergarten teacher) turned out a remarkable lovely!
Jingle Jimmy,
PhB, BS, CPC Rtd
that tall, skinny, bald, old, and ugly guy
a.k.a. two knives
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Why were you force-marched? Playing hooky? 😂
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I had fun yesterday examining mushroom spoes with my electron microscope at 50,000x. It was very cool to try to see the little stems that they use to hang on to the gills!
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