My writing prompt today was “What do You Do for Fun?” And quite frankly, it was one of those deer-in-the-headlights moments.
My mind went blank. And then asked, “What do you mean by ‘fun’?”
And honestly, I went to my favorite online dictionary to look it up.
Fun – pleasure, enjoyment, or entertainment; giving pleasure; when related to a person – enjoyable to be with.
Okay. That I can do. 😀 And so I thought I’d explore this, as a journaling prompt, with you. It’s an interesting exercise.
It’s not that I don’t do things for “fun”. It’s just that I don’t think about activities as “fun” or not.
I don’t sort life into “fun” and “not fun”. It’s subjective, there’s a gradient. And, there’s value, there’s learning, there’s growth, in the the “not fun”.
I do, however, recognize when people are “fun to talk to”.
In fact, I was just in a meeting with someone who is fun to talk with and listen to. We are in similar phases of life, share similar interests and training, and geek out over some of the similar things – including food and helping others develop and share their message.
Seriously, all in the same conversation, we geeked out over this new berry she found for her smoothies, bonded over our love for the ocean, and collaborated over messaging and audiences for a social media campaign.
I enjoy who she is as a person – straight talking, hard working, imperfect and interesting. She’s fun to talk to. An interesting person, doing interesting things, living life the best she can despite what comes.
As I think through this idea of “What do I do for fun?”, there’s this idea of activities that are fun. I don’t usually think of activities as “fun”, but I do think of them as “sparkly”✨
For me, looking back over the last two years, some sparkly activities and events were:
- Having tea at a friend’s, who has this amazing talent for decorating and hospitality
- Watching a unique outdoor performance of “A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream” with my brother, who I don’t get to see very often.
- Visiting my family in Oregon, and playing with my niece and nephew.
- Going to a Cirque Du Soleil show with my daughters
- Traveling to Los Angeles for a small business event with my husband, and learning and hanging out with interesting people who are cultivating a lifestyle and building businesses.
- Taking my youngest daughter on a 9 day road trip to visit her best friend in Wisconsin, stopping along the way to visit sites that were sparkly to us, including the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum in Missouri, the Lincoln Presidential Museum in Illinois, and the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Arkansas.
Looking at that list of sparkly events, I can now see the common denominators. For me, it’s fun to travel. It’s fun to experience culture and nature. And, I love hanging out with people I enjoy, talking, and doing things we both enjoy together.
Coming up, the sparkly event I’m looking forward to is a bucket list trip for my birthday to Maine.
In all my travels I’ve never been to the Northeast. And I really would love to visit the Atlantic ocean from this side, see the lighthouses, and experiences the Fall colors. And maybe – if our passports renew in time – we’ll jaunt over to Prince Edward Island, and indulge our inner Anne of Green Gables fan.
It’s fun to think about and plan, almost as much as it is to experience.
Yet fun isn’t just for these special, sparkly moments. The unusual, out-of-the-ordinary, once-in-a-blue-moon events are not our only sources of fun, can’t be.
It’s so important for our health, for our mindset and sanity – our well-being – to have our own little day-to-day pleasures. Those things that are how we decompress, how we find enjoyment in the every day.
For me, it’s my books, conversations, the animals, and enjoying the outdoors.
Playing in the dirt, watching things grow, learning new things.
Having conversations with my kids, doing life together.
It’s curling up with a book at the end of the day, staying up late caught up in a good story. Sitting on the deck, with my journal or laptop and working outside.
It’s the daily conversations with colleagues, friends, and family. The companionship and support as we each do life and work towards our goals. To celebrate the wins, and share the journey.
It’s the Wednesday night shows with my oldest son – sharing food, conversations, and learning new things through the shows we watch together.
It’s the Saturday afternoon special times with each of my kids – grabbing their pick of food and doing an activity or watching a show, a series, or a youtube channel together. Something specific to them that we enjoy together.
It’s the sharing of ideas and memes, and stories together. The camaraderie and connection we share. That’s fun for me.
And so is the time with the dog and horses. The connection, trust, and communication we have.
And time in the garden or deck garden. Playing in the dirt, watching the growth over time, watching the bees and butterflies come to visit, and watching the hummingbirds dart in when they don’t think anyone is watching.
Seeing the squirrels make their bids for the bird seed, and fallen acorns, when they think the dog isn’t looking. Watching the horses communicate with the Cattle Egrets that come to visit them each year. Listening to the frogs after the rain.
To some this may feel mundane, but this is the lifestyle I’ve intentionally cultivated – because it fulfills me, gives me pleasure. It is my fun.
Maybe the prompt, “What do you do for fun?” froze me up because I was thinking about how others might expect “fun” to look like. Fun is individual. There is no “right” answer – just what is right for us, in this season we are in. And for me, this is it.
The quiet, simple pleasures of life, interesting conversations with people I enjoy, travel, food, learning, watching life grow and change through the seasons. This is me. And for me, this is fun.
Now your turn. This actually does make a great journaling prompt:
What do you do for fun? What is sparkly for you? What are the little day-to-day pleasures that make you smile and make you feel fulfilled?
I use the Tree of Hearts Journal for my abundance study, the Tree of Life Journal for notes for a book project, and the Tree of Dreams Journal for new study I just started. They are all beautiful and easy to write in.
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Shannon Stoltz is a writer, trainer, and entrepreneur. But her favorite role has been that of work-at-home mom to four fabulous, homeschooled, and now grown, kiddos. Shannon is fascinated with how humans learn, grow, and communicate, and passionate about the importance of embracing our unique gifts, talents, and individuality. She lives in the countryside outside Houston, Texas, with her family, and their menagerie of rescue animals.