When was the last time you let yourself play? I mean REALLY play? Did you ever notice how we as adults think that we have to BUY fun? When we want to have some fun, what do we do? Go to the movies, go on vacation, go on a shopping spree, go skiing. Are these things fun? Absolutely! Do they require us to buy something? You bet.
I believe that the best kind of fun is the kind that is generated from within us, and it requires no purchase. Don’t get me wrong, there is NOTHING wrong with purchasing all of those great things, but the kind of fun I am talking about can be generated at any given moment, at anytime, anywhere. How do I know this? Do you have or ever had little kids? Did you ever watch them play?
Little children and we were all little children once, have this unbridled ability to bring out the fun in anything that happens to be in front of them. For example, my son is 3 years old. And ever since he was a baby, just old enough to reach out and grab, his favorite toy was a wipes container. You know those plastic containers that have a flip top lid and hold a stack of wet wipes. Well, he loves those things and still to this day he prefers that over many of the expensive toys that we were sure he would play with forever. Go figure! But that is just an example of how little kids bring fun to anything and everything.
As we have become adults, some of us have lost that ability to have fun. We are too busy trying to “make it”, or to “be a success”. We have too many dishes to do, meals to plan, and laundry to get done. We have forgotten.
Here are some ideas to bring out your sense of childlike fun, and I promise if you try them, you’ll feel at least 10 years younger. Maybe more!!! These are all things I have done, with or without my kids, and trust me they work….
-have your own karaoke contest in your living room
-sing in the shower
-bake some brownies
-build a tent in the living room with blankets and chairs
-have a race with your child around the living room
-go to the park and slide down the fire pole
-camp out in your back yard
-dig a hole in your flower bed
-play hide and seek at the mall or grocery store
-approach a stranger and give them a compliment
-go barefoot
-play a board game
-make up your own game of charades
-swing on the swing set
-dig for worms
-go fishing
-run through a sprinkler
-take a hike through a forest
-ride your bike
-watch a sunset
-watch a sunrise
-leave a note of acknowledgment for an unsuspecting co-worker
-leave a love note for your spouse
-pick a wild flower for your mom
-drive with the windows down and sun roof open
-drive your spouse crazy by dancing like a wild person in the car, especially while stopped an intersection
-have breakfast in bed
-heck, have dinner in bed
-crank up the music in the car like you did in High School
