A Case for Fun
Sometimes, the very best thing you can do for yourself and others is drop your work and go have a good time. Let’s give fun the credit it deserves.
As a single parent, things can get overwhelming. Work, parenting and co-parenting, child support and other obligations, relationships, grocery shopping and meal preparation, home maintenance and cleaning, the list goes on and on. So when my therapist asked me: “what kinds of things do you like to do for fun?” I laughed, and proceeded to give two full minutes’ worth of answers that were pretty close to non-answers.
“Uhh…well…fun, did you say? Um…I mean, I try to find enjoyment in my work projects, and I love spending time with my kids, and I exercise every day, which I really enjoy. Hmm, let me think about that. Well, I like to go hiking, and I like being outdoors. I love the water. Uh, playing sports? Making and playing the piano and guitar? Singing and dancing?” And so on, and so forth. Note how my answers started turning into questions: I was asking the person who asked me for answers to help me with the answers. Chances are that you do the same, especially if you haven’t made time for yourself in a long while. My therapist told me that it was really important to do things that I enjoy, and, as usual, I smiled and nodded as I thought to myself…
