Are we having fun yet?
That used to be a line my friends and I would regularly throw out when we were having questionable experiences. As in experiences that weren’t often that much fun.
Kind of like these last few months.
I had a co-worker from a job many years ago who I adored. (hi Bruce) It was a job we both enjoyed, but it wasn’t without it’s stressful times. We once made a pact to have at least one belly laugh each day. I have often thought of those days, and I know we didn’t always meet our goal. But when you have that as an intention, I do believe it changes your mindset. There is a part of your brain that is always scanning for something that could potentially be funny. And I think it’s a good thing.
We also used to create moments of potential hilarity. We would buy the trash papers (the ones by the check out at the supermarket?) to scan for anything funny. And trust me – there were usually many, even if it was point-and-laugh humor. If we were driving somewhere, whoever wasn’t driving would have to read articles to the person driving and make them as theatrical as possible.
I actually did a version of that same thing one time with a group of near strangers. I had to have a minor procedure done once – of the feminine nature. There were four people in the room, including a doctor I had never met. I had my feet in the stirrups (TMI?) but I had brought in with me a People magazine from the waiting room. They had given me a muscle relaxer, which made me a little loopy. And I decided to read exerts from the People mag to everyone, out loud with accents, for the 25 minutes or so that it took them to do what they needed to do. It kept me from thinking about what was going on and I definitely made some new friends that day (one of them even ended up delivering both my babies). I had fun, in spite of it all.
I think of myself as someone with a sense of humor, even if some might think it quirky. My wit tends to be dry and sarcastic, but I believe I do still try to see the humor in things. At least I did. I now have a post-it note on my board that says LAUGH MORE. As I write this, I think I will go change it to FIND THE HUMOR because maybe that is what I really need.
It’s true – I have observed myself not laughing as much lately. Can you relate?
So here is my question – what are you doing for fun?
I know the word fun means different things to different people. And when we think back, most of our fun experiences probably involved a connection with another human. And dang it, even though Zoom has helped in ways we could have never imagined, it can’t really take the place of actual face time.
We need to become the makers of our own fun. And when we are doing something fun, we need to be present enough in the moment to be able to recognize it.
How can you do what you do and have more fun while you are doing it?
Maybe your job isn’t fun, but could you bring some humor to it? One of my husband’s co-workers created a couple different Zoom backgrounds that were videos. One was him walking across the screen clearly just out of the shower with a towel wrapped around him. Another was of him walking across the screen drinking a beer. Both were awesome and had everyone at least for a moment, enjoying a belly laugh. (go Chase)
Can you approach whatever you have to do this next week with a little bit of playfulness?
OK so writing this has given me some ideas. I think I am going to buy a rag mag at the grocery store today and start sending some voice texts to my friends, reading some of the choice stories with strange accents. I also love cards…. maybe it’s time to start using my stamps. Maybe it’s time for a virtual scavenger hunt.
I need more fun and laughter and I know I can create it.
What do you have up your sleeve? (aside from your arm) How are you having fun? Feel free to inspire the rest of us in the comments below!
And always – make it a great one.
❤️