Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Are We Having Fun Yet?


A few months ago Jeff asked me, “What do you do for fun?”

I stared back at him blankly while I scanned my life for the fun stuff.

“I like to read?” It was a question.

“You mean for your book clubs? Isn’t that more like homework?”

“Getting together for the actual club part is fun and sometimes I like the books.”

“Uh huh.”

“I like to travel.” There I had one.

“When’s the last time you did that?”

“Okay maybe not that but... We went to that Prince concert that time.”

“How many years ago?”

I knew what he was getting at. Of course there was joy in my life every day: Watching Bob play Little League, volunteering in the kindergarten classroom, family time with the guys. But I couldn’t think of the last time I had fun for the sake of fun. I was quickly becoming aware that I had become a person with no hobbies and no interests. Watching episodes of “Elementary” and buying vintage linens on Ebay didn’t really count as “hobbies.” Thank God my days of trying to sound exciting in an online dating profile were far in the past.

I asked some of my mom friends what they did for fun and was met by either blank stares or laughter or both.

“I got a massage a couple of months ago,” Elise said. We decided that this was more of a medical necessity than actual fun.

“I got to see part of a movie awhile back,” said Cindy. “But then the sitter called and we had to leave early because Dylan threw up.”

We were a fun-less group. It was time to go looking for the fun.

This is how I found myself contra dancing last month, an activity that has nothing to offer but fun. Then Jeff and Bob and I went to the pier and rode the Ferris Wheel: So much fun. Two weeks ago my friend Nikki and I took a morning boat to Catalina Island and went ziplining. The whole day trip was designed for fun and it delivered. Zipping through the canyon at 30 miles an hour, I thought – Yes. More of this.

We are currently planning our next adventure: belay rock climbing. I had to Google “belay.” It has something to do with a harness and someone not letting you fall off a wall. And it sounds fun.

11 comments:

  1. I had to Google "fun".
    :(

    Enjoy.

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  2. Zip lining? Rock climbing? Contra dancing? From where I sit, you are practically Indiana Jones. What next? Spelunking?

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  3. I love rock climbing. You'll have fun but bring a pain killer... its harder than it looks.

    I'm newly married with no kids and my "fun" sounds similar to yours...

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  4. Glad to hear that you are getting out for some big FUN, Bob's Mom...err, uhh...Indiana :).

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  5. YES. More of this :)

    Something I need to work on myself.

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  6. Wow! I was like "Does drinking with the girls count as fun?" I run and that's fun, but now? I think I need to add more fun to my life. Thanks for opening my eyes! Can't wait to read all of your fun things so I can get some more ideas.

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  7. Yea & Amen, Sister! Preach the gospel of women making time for fun! When did we become so lame?!

    Just a few weeks back, my Evil Genius 12-year-old frittered away his entire April vacation in front of screens. (For the record, I was out of the country at the time AND we live in Greater Boston, so much of the available vacation fun was shut down because of the horrific bombings. My amazing husband did a really terrific job holding down the fort without me.)

    ANYHOW, we decided to draft a "Summer of Awesomeness To Do List" so that the rest of the season doesn't limp off into our past with a whimper. Just writing the list was a blast. And now my sisterfriends are making our own additions to the list.

    All of your recent fun made our list, by the way.
    Keep it up!

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