Light Lessons with Patsie McCandless: The Energy of Fun

The Energy of Fun

Finding the energy of fun is up to you!

Think on this: if Life is as hard as you make it, then the opposite would also be true:

Life is as fun as you make it!

 

There is an old chestnut of a song that asks:

“Are you having any fun?

What’re you gettin’ out of living?

What good is what you’ve got – if you’re not – havin’ any fun?”

(Stanshall & Kilgaron)

 

So, how long has it been since you have had  – as Becoming Jesse crows –

pure whiz-bang-zip-zooming fun”?

You know! That carefree, thrill-digging feeling! When you are energized, enthralled, and thoroughly in the here-and-now moments, especially with someone you love!

Too Old, Too Busy for Fun?

Do you think fun is only for children? Do you think of it as juvenile? Immature? Maybe even childishly self-serving? Are you too “over-the-hill” to indulge in a little fun? Or perhaps you tell yourself you are too busy – you don’t have time for frivolous fun!

Isn’t it odd that you do have time for artificial fun, say, on screen devices? Unchecked TV, Youtube, Gaming, Social Media, News Media. You may tell yourself that you’re tired, and you just want a little “me” time… but, too often, it is time that turns into hours of emptiness. And it is addictive, as you may remember in my TEDx Talk: it floods your brain with the dopamine that keeps you endlessly scrolling or clicking the remote, expecting, wishing, hoping to find something – anything – that fills that emptiness.

Fun Can Work Wonders

Fun is definitely not only for children. Maybe it’s time to find the child within you, who can remind you how to look for, and find fun. I recall a commercial from 2013, that had the grownups surprisingly – playfully – seeing themselves as babies – and dancing and laughing to beat the band! It gets you smiling just to watch it!

Yes, forget wilting away day-by-day. In fun, you can thrive!

It is waiting for you. Fun is your everyday magic shining out – all over you, and all over everyone you are with!

If you want to connect to your highest and best inner self, fun can work wonders. Even better, once you get connected with yourself, fun takes you into the circle of those you love: friends, colleagues, a partner, a child, a grandchild.

Fun – the gift that keeps on giving

When you get into the zone of fun, you may be surprised to feel a new energy. You’re happier. Fantastic! And there’s more! You’re healthier. More productive. Less stressed-out. You really do feel like you have more energy!

Fun gives you an indispensable enthusiasm. You look in the mirror and see, not just your reflection, but your whole day, filled with wholesome, genuine joy!

Our Kind of Fun

Recently, in these summer days, we have been having grand days of fun with our Grands.

On the hot days I recall squeals of laughter , running through the sprinkler, turning it into a game of tag. Sometimes, it’s too hot, and there is playing in the basement, or sitting around the kitchen table playing cards or old board games, or discovering new fun with a game of “Quarkle”. Recently, we made deliciously decadent chocolate candies.

Before we went out for a walk, we sat together and made a ‘scavenger hunt’ list of things to look for in our neighborhood: from different colors of flowers to a butterfly, a bee, an American flag, a yellow brick house, and toys out in a yard. We found every single thing, and we were all amazed that we suddenly noticed things we had not ‘seen’ before.

Supper around the table is always fun, with conversations started from asking a simple question, like “What if…?” We have heard about being invisible, to time travel, to stars and galaxies and black holes. Word-play – like Becoming Jesse‘s Spoonerisms – are fun, too. A current favorite is, “Let me sew you to your sheet.”

Today, we took a canoe ride down one of the local rivers. Paddling through the shallows and the deeps, the quiet water and the bubbling rapids, seeing fish, turtles, ducks, herons, even getting out to wade  – or float – in the cool water. A beautiful visit with Mother Nature!

Fun is one of the best memory makers there is!

Have fun and…

Light On!