Fun times

In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. -Mary Poppins

Way back in the day, when social media didn’t exist yet, there were these things called post cards and you’ld send them using something called a postal service and it would take a few days for the other person to get your message. One of my post cards had the following saying on it: “So I haven’t written lately, so what? Neither has Shakespeare”. And since chances are slim, we’ll hear anything new from that guy any time soon, I’m still ahead of the game, hehehe.

That being said, I’m happy to be back. Let’s have some fun! Or rather, let’s talk about fun and the lack thereof in recent history. Work has been no fun at all for a few months now, and the stress and exhaustion sucked the fun out of other areas in my life. That’s not to say there wasn’t any fun to be had at all, there were times spent with friends with good food and lots of laughs, which were nice oases of fun in an otherwise drab time. But I’m not a person that’s satisfied with a dreary life that only has a few dots of fun now and then. I want to enjoy all of my life, so something’s gotta give!

So in the last three weeks, while I was off work (yes, us Europeans get a lot of days off), I did some resting and relaxing and some pondering on my life. First thing that needs an adjustment, is probably my mindset. If I can’t change the situation, I can change the way I look at the situation. And while a spoonful of sugar is definitely not healthy, adding some sweetness to my life definitely is. Ditching the thoughts of “I should do this, because it’s healthy” and “I don’t really want to, but I’m doing that because I have to”, and replacing them with thoughts of enjoyment. “I’m so glad I get to do this, because now I can pay my bills and travel”, “I love going to work, because I have the best colleagues”, “this task may be tedious, but I’m just going to put on some happy tunes and dance while I’m doing it”. I can experience things as a drag, or I can straighten my spine and dance to the beat. It’s my choice.

So that’s work covered, now to apply it to other areas of my life. Writing shouldn’t feel like a chore, because I feel I can’t be good enough or have nothing interesting to say. I can write for myself, have fun with it, regardless of how many people read it or like it. It might not be original, but it’ll be authentic, because it’s mine. I can drag myself on a daily walk, because it’s supposed to be healthy, or I can enjoy going for a walk, breathe in some extra oxygen, admire the clouds in the sky and the flowers in the field, I can see it as an opportunity to take pictures, which is an activity I love doing. I don’t need tons of money to go on my own little adventures.

Life’s what you make it, so let’s make it fun!