Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Tuesday Slice: In search of FUN

There is a book languishing somewhere in my to-be-read pile called The Gift of Play:  Why Adult Women Stop Playing and How to Start Again by Barbara Brannen.

I need to dig it out right now and read it. 

Sometime in June, I loudly proclaimed to my husband "I need to have some FUN this summer, something to feed my spirit so that I can go back to work in August with a smile on my face and a story to tell when someone asks about my summer break."

Here I am, halfway through my one month of no-work-appointments, with a planner full of work-related reading and projects, commitments to exercise and clean and deal with children's activities.  

There is a sprinkling of fun (little f) here and there--swimming in the neighbor's pool, painting a sign for our house, going to a concert with my husband, reading a book just for me.  

I try to make activities fun.  There's a subtle difference, though, between injecting fun into an activity one feels obligated to do, and doing something just for fun. 

Nothing on my calendar screams FUN.  And I'm not even sure I could articulate what that really looks like, anymore.  I just know it's missing.

I've got two weeks to figure it out and squeeze it in.  Maybe Barbara Brannen can help me.  You'll know where to find me today, in between exercising and cleaning.  I'll be searching for my funny bone.  If you find it first, can you please return it? 

18 comments:

  1. i hear you. I have found myself thinking "i'm bored" a few evenings lately.

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    1. I can relate! My problem is inertia, too...once I get stuck in a rut, it's hard to get out of it.

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  2. I agree! I do things I enjoy, but fun... not sure what that means for me right now. Nice post- not too heavy, but thought provoking.

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    1. I hope you find your fun, too, Fran! We all need no-strings-attached play time to feed our spirit.

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  3. I'm so sad the summer is almost over! What I'm going to do for fun is get some gal pals together and play some Euchre, a card game that's popular in Michigan. I'd also like to get together with some of my girlfriends from high school and take a walk down memory lane. :) I hope you get your fun in this summer!

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    1. That sounds fabulous! I thought my fun was getting back on my motorcycle to practice for my license, but it's still gathering dust, penned in by hubby's bikes. Plus it's really hot, time on the asphalt would have to happen before ten a.m. these days. Sigh.

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  4. I have a tribe of girlfriends (you met them at iPadpalooza.) We have had a truly fun summer. Late nights on the deck, going Pokemon hunting, or an upcoming movie night to see Bad Mom are all silly memories I will cherish. Connecting with friends just to play has been the highlight of my summer. I also love the look on my hubby's face when I say "the tribe is coming over tonight."

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    1. You have your fun pinned down! I am an introvert at heart, so my idea of fun doesn't involve a group of people; planning for such would stress me out.

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  5. Love your distinction between lower case fun and all caps FUN. I have that same disability (or inability) to access the upper case kind in my day to day environment. Maybe that's the reason for vacations. Thinking about your thinking. Maybe I'll find it before the summer ends.

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    1. I think a lack of a true vacation this summer is part of the problem for me. Hope you find your FUN, too!

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  6. Does the author of the book indicate it is more difficult for women to have fun because of that "I have to take of everyone" bone? I hear your pain.

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    1. Yep, she mentions that as well. Finally found the book in the tenth pile I looked at, started reading it immediately!

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  7. I've been reading, painting rooms, and weeding...like you, I need to find some room for just fun!

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    1. Even my reading has been focused on work--either books from our Bluebonnet List for next year, or professional reading. Still looking for that one book that will truly put me into a book coma this summer.

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  8. Go grab a nice bottle of wine-or better, champagne- some nibbles like cheese if you like red, sweet if you like champagne, and sit outside and watch the sunset. Fun, capital F!:-)
    Maribethbatcho.wordpress.com

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    1. I do enjoy a sunset, Maribeth. Would be capital F for me if I was viewing it from a beach house....

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  9. I guess you need to find it just for you, Chris. Each of us is so different! Hope the book helps!

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    1. I think I'm a bit jealous of my kids, Linda. Teenboy just got back from a week in NYC, and firstborn is heading to Japan in a week. Living vicariously is getting old...sigh.

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