I’ve been taking a course sponsored by Mike Dooley (the guy who writes the daily Notes from the Universe). He shared some guidance he received while practicing channeling: “It’s more important to love life than to have fun.” He explained when you love life, fun is automatic. But if you decide to have fun, that’s serious intent. It becomes a task to check off, it becomes arduous.
Those words really struck me. I understand that part of loving life is living in the moment, but that’s still something I struggle with, especially when it comes to pleasure. I’ve spent most of my life putting merriment on my calendar. I still feel a sense of “failure” if my weekend evenings are not filled with exciting things to do. I was always the “planner” among my group of friends. The person they’d call and ask, “What are we doing tonight?” The pressure was on to make sure we all had a good time. In all honesty, an equal number of those structured outings turned out to be duds as roaring successes.
I acknowledge that everyday life can be fun, like when you run into an old friend at the bank, or when your one-year old discovers the kazoo, or when a coworker spontaneously brings donuts to work and everyone rushes like children to the breakroom.
I know from experience it’s possible to have fun even in the worst moments. That’s why we laugh during funerals or sing our favorite songs to cheer ourselves up.
And I know even the most tedious tasks can be entertaining if you use your imagination.
I also know there will be plenty of moments in every day that are hard and painful or still and peaceful. If you love life, you love those moments too. It doesn’t always have to be enjoyable.
Breaking down the components of fun, we find friendship, laughter, curiosity, adventure, daring, releasing, creating, collaborating, wonder, excitement, and love. We can uncover those same things in every segment of our lives from work to school to parenting. We certainly find it in our art. Fun is always close at hand. Maybe learning to trust that is my real challenge.
Here’s to not seeking fun. Here’s to letting it find us.
To find more inspiring posts like this one, please visit the blog — “Bursts of Brilliance for a Creative Life.”
