Dear friend,
“I’m sick of fun,” my friend bemoaned to me. “I know this is the season for getting cozy and doing fun stuff, but I’m tired of it. I just want someone else to plan the stuff.”
And while I don’t have kids, unlike my friend (she has seven), I do know what she was talking about. I’ve felt it myself.
Having fun is important for living creatively. Especially in the Vitamin D-deficient season that is winter. But planning fun can be exhausting.
It doesn’t have to be big.
Here’s the thing–fun doesn’t have to be big. Don’t get me wrong; going ice skating, making gingerbread houses, or having a craft day is fun! But you don’t have to plan a big thing in order to have fun.
Folding laundry can be fun. Dusting can be fun. Setting the table can be fun!
Here’s how.
If you’re thinking, “You must be full of balogne. How can setting the table possibly be fun?!” hang in there.
Something I’m learning (specifically because of my ADHD) is how to “gamify” normal things. By gamify, I mean, turn something into a game. Make it whimsical. Make it a novelty: turning something I normally dread into something whimsical that I can at least have neutral feelings about.
It does take a little bit of planning, in that you have to come up with the game before you have to do the thing. But if you keep a small list in the back of your mind (or in your notes app), then it’s less of a problem.
For example, dusting turns into “How Many Spiders Can I Defeat With This Rag” (It’s better if you pull out your most maniacal laugh. You can even give yourself a treat for each web you catch). Or setting the table turns into pretending you are preparing for a royal banquet in a castle. And turning your favorite playlist on while folding laundry becomes a competition to see how few songs it takes to do a load (Keep a score sheet and give yourself a sticker when the load’s done!).
Extra-Ordinary
These are just ideas. You don’t have to do them; they’re just suggestions.
Fun isn’t reliant on big, complicated plans of extraordinary things. Fun is what happens when you do the ordinary with an extraordinary perspective. To quote Tadashi from Big Hero 6, “Shake things up! Use that big brain of yours to think your way out! Look for a new angle.”
Fun isn’t everything. It isn’t a requirement of life. In fact there are a lot of things about life that aren’t fun. But lots of responsibilities can be turned into opportunities for fun, with a bit of creative brain power and a running list (so you don’t forget).
Sincerely,
R. J. Catlin
Ooh it’s me! I’m the friend haha. I will now be trying to enter into a more whimsical state with my children in all the little things. Because it’s snowing. Again.
XD thanks for the inspiration! I hope it was encouraging haha.