When’s the last time you had fun? Really had fun??
Before I defected to the jungle to surf ‘ery day, the answer for me was sadly just about once a week, goofing around on the tennis courts with my buddy David.
And before that, the answer was even more sadly…I dunno? Game nights here and there? That time my buddy set up the slip ‘n slide for the Memorial Day party in Austin?
In this post-Instagram era of robotic automation, virtue signaling, never-ending to-do lists, professional ambition…I can’t think of anything that’s had a more positive effect on my life than saying “screw all that!” in favor of frequent, consistent play!!
I think this is why I used to keep ejecting from the system so much — the summers abroad as a teenager, the year in Costa Rica mid-college, the partying and epic vacations once “real work” started, the year in Australia and Indo, the months in Hawai’i…
Until…
I finally realized I’m enough and deserve to be happy, now…every day…and moved to the tropics and let play be a centerpiece of life!
It’s social, it’s present, it’s joyful…it’s fun 🤪!
I’ve asked a few clients lately what they’re doing for fun, and I’ve heard about them doing a lot of things that sound nice on paper — yoga, meditation, journaling, jogging, spiritual reading, walks in nature…
And I was left wanting something more for them!
In the words of a play researcher...
“Everyone is so busy but yet unfulfilled,” Catherine Price, the author of The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again, told NPR.
With a background as a science journalist, Price sought to parse out the ingredients for “true fun,” as she calls it. Her answer is the overlapping states of playfulness, connection and flow.
In grade school, I remember regularly having a paper assigned on a Friday (but seriously, WTF!?), due in a month or two (also, WTF!?), rushing home and starting work on it that evening 😔.
My mom would finally interrupt me just before dusk on Saturday, “okay Andy…that’s enough for now…time to go outside and play, have some fun…”
“But, but…I’m almost done!” I’d protest, “just let me finish…”
By the fifth grade, I’d already so deeply internalized the pressure to succeed that the circuits for worth and productivity had long been fused. The anxiety noose attached to my desk was so tight I could barely breathe.
Fortunately, my mother was insistent…
Moments after joining my friends outside and picking up the squirt gun or football, I’d long forgotten that silly paper…and was just having some ‘ole fashioned wholesome FUN.
We do it because it feels GOOD! Not for any reward. It’s one of the purest expressions of what it means to be human, IMHO.
Still need convincing? ← a small part of me died just writing this!
Buddha laid out seven factors for enlightenment. Guess what two of them are!?
Energy and Joy!
28.57% of enlightenment is about this!
So, what do you do for fun? How often? I find regular, daily play to be key to my happiness.
If you’re scratching your head, make one of those lists we’re so good at these days — “Fun Shit To Do”! Maybe it’s blank for a minute. That’s okay. Maybe you have some ideas. Cool! Don’t think or try too hard. If you do, it’s prolly not going to be any fun! Look to kids, animals for inspiration. Remember what you did when you were little; I bet the themes aren't going to be very different, now. And most importantly, commit! “I commit to having fun ‘ery day!”
Here are some from my list:
Surfing
Playing with Barkley
Laughing with a friend
Playing in the sand where it meets the water
Watching something funny
Goofing around the tennis court
Pickleball!
Going to a comedy show
Pickup soccer
Surf skate
Read something fun
Dance party!
Wakeboarding
Game night!
Paintball
Snowboarding (can you tell I like board sports yet!?)
K, time for us to put the devices down, go outside and play already!!