The Opposite of Fun

I recently had some surgery that left me with a surprisingly painful recovery. I had no energy to read and TV was more boring than usual. I basically rested for a week. It was definitely NOT fun. I should have called a friend or family member, but I felt I had nothing to say. When we are in pain, physical or mental, it is hard to reach out to others. It was hard to find joy in those circumstances. I didn’t even walk my dog, which made us both  miserable.

My mom was a nurse, who stayed home with me when I was sick. When I would get bored from laying around, she would say, “Just rest.” It was the opposite of fun. 

As a single parent, I had severe migraines. When I could rest, I was still miserable. (The worst was driving fifty minutes  to get home, but that’s another story.)
Curiously, I discovered something about this period in my life. Every time I was laid up, there followed a burst of creativity. I came to accept the NOT fun times and look forward to what followed. I never knew if it would be writing, sewing or new friends, but it was always more fun than resting.

Pre-fun

More fun is planned for the coming month. Concerts, travel, Zooms, and my usual fun with famiy, quilters, singers, poets, and friends. You'd think I'd be happy, and I am, but for me, there is always anxiety. I calm myself by cleaning (presently cleaning closets), playing video games on my phone, and generally making a mess, which will have to be spotless soon. I have perfectionistic tendencies, which makes me clean my house almost spotless before I have people over. I know, that's why I never have parties. I am grateful for a doggie that takes me for long walks. That always lessens my anxieties. How about you? Do you get nervous before an unusual event in your life, like travel or hosting? 

Post-Fun, Revised

I had so much fun in January! I rested up from my trip to Cuba, celebrated the birthdays of two beautiful teenage granddaughters, and joined the Swedish Glee Club (https://swedishgleeclub.org/), which has great singers, beautiful music, and fantastic director. I attended the opera Carmen for the first time and had dinner with friends. Then I also attended the opera Cinderella for the first time and had lunch with friends beforehand.

Then I realized there is a downside to fun, and I’m calling it “post-fun.” After having a fun month in January, life is back to normal and that now seems more boring. I still sing in my church choir and quilt with friends and alone. So I am having plenty of fun in retirement, but the routine aspects of life are not so fun. Cleaning bathrooms and scrubbing floors are not fun. 

Even quilting, reading, and writing can be isolating. Solitude is wonderful, but rarely as fun as almost anything with family or friends. I am grateful for the beautiful memories of January.

It doesn’t take much to meet my needs. In the coming months I have plans to travel, go to concerts, a play, and another opera. They may or may not be fun. But I have goals I wish to achieve before I die. So having too much fun causes a kind of stress. But that’s another story.

The Theme for the Year is Fun

I recently made a trip to Cuba with a family I have grown close to in the U.S. I was treated like a member of the family, and I realized I just don't have enough fun. Now, mind you, fun is relative. Parties can be fun, or not. Relatives can be fun, or not. You get my point? I hope to locate some of the fun in my life that I take for granted and share these with you. You may think they're boring or worse, but I hope to spend more time having fun this year, unless God has other plans. 

First, I must say it is a pleasure for me to dance. As a single living alone, I don't get much chance to do so. The most dancey I have gotten is exercise videos. Still, I danced for hours on New Year's Eve in Cuba and loved every minute of it. My phone thought I had walked for miles.

Grandkids are the most fun family activity I have enjoyed to far. Even teenagers, who can be separating themselves from family know some fun games to play. Have you played Cave Man? It's a riot!

My other fun activities are sewing, reading, waking, writing, and learning about genealogy, so you can see I'm not the wild thing I used to be. What do you do to have fun? Give me some ideas here, people! I'll let you know as I discover the fun I've been missing in life and hope I can laugh through the tough times.