Monday, October 4, 2021

What is Fun?

(Lets pretend I wasn't gone for 2 months, OK? I've been writing in my head the whole time...I was shocked to see how long its been before those thoughts made it to the page)

Just finished listening to SHU's conversation with Gretchen Rubin on Best Laid Plans and their exchange about "planning in fun" and having to figure out for ourselves what really IS fun, made me think.

Its been a very rough month or two for me, for all sorts of reasons that I will eventually (maybe) delve into, but I'm tired. I could really use some fun. But what is fun??? We make plans and we do things, and yet, all of it feels like a slog. Now maybe that's just my own mental health casting a fog over life, or maybe I just don't genuinely ENJOY many of the things we are doing. 

I was thinking back to moments over the past few weeks that actually felt...good...energizing, and not draining like everything else seems to feel: going to the beach and actually braving the cold water to play in the waves even though the rest of my family was content on the sand, impromptu conversations (with fellow parents I don't know well) on the sidelines at soccer on a PERFECT sunny but cool fall day, laughing hysterically with girlfriends (fellow moms from my sons' daycare...we still love hanging out!) having dinner at a beer garden, having our neighbor over on the first chilly day for sushi and wine by the fire pit. 

Some of those things were unplanned. All of them involved good weather and being outdoors. All of them were social. 

Things that I don't find fun: watching movies (something G and the kids love to do), short easy hikes that take longer to drive to then to actually do (because no one else wants to do the long, challenging ones), going to the park (I am so over the park), "family fun" like apple picking or kids museum, going for ice cream (I can't eat it).

I just spent 8 (of the 10 I've allotted to write this post) minutes trying to think of how I can incorporate more of the FUN moments into my life in the next few months and ended up depressed thinking about winter and holidays and blah. We should enjoy fall while we can. 

OK off to see patients.