Does This Rock Climbing Wall Make My Butt Look Big?

(Don't answer that.) In our continued quest for fun and adventure, my friend Nikki and I went indoor rock climbing. The climbing place was airport hangar-y and filled with climbing walls. Classic rock played loudly and as we got ready we heard both Stairway to Heaven and Freebird so that seemed like a good omen. We put on our borrowed climbing shoes and our instructor, Kevin strapped us into our harnesses. And then? We climbed up the walls. Straight up. Just when we thought we couldn't make it to the top, Kevin would talk us into going up farther than we knew we could.

We climbed for an hour and then we climbed a wall blindfolded. You heard me. Climbing was all-consuming, no way could I think of anything but where to put my foot next. It was more aerobic than I had anticipated: I was out of breath each time I got to the top of a wall. I worked up a sweat. Nikki and I were both sore all over before we even finished.

And it was fun, you guys. Mission accomplished.

We're trying to figure out what's next. Any ideas?

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.