When I was young, my sisters and I would often turn on some music - we had several favorites- and dance and skip and jump and sing and run around the house while our mom made bread or prepared meals. I'm sure she enjoyed seeing us have so much fun!
We would pretend to be famous dancers or singers, lead the music like a famous orchestra conductor or play the drums and march like we were in a parade in a marching band. We would feel the music, memorize the words or the dynamics and changes (we listened to a lot of classical music) and move our bodies to the beat.
I've recently recognized that I want to have more fun in my life. As an adult, my definition of fun has narrowed to things I find enjoying or relaxing, like reading a book or taking a bath. I'm not much of a thrill-seeker and fun seems hard to come by now. And when I say I want to have more fun, I don't mean these types of things like taking a break or doing an activity that is relaxing. I mean fun!
A couple of years ago I was asked to name a few things I do for fun or even something I would like to do for fun. My thought was... fun? What's that? I couldn't think of one thing! Eventually I expanded that list to include things like going to lunch with friends or getting to a warm, sunny place.
And while consciously adding these types of activities into my life was a step in the right direction, they aren't fun in the sense I'm craving now.
Imagine your own mom dancing and twirling and moving around to music as she does her chores, smiling and free. What feelings does that conjure up? What would that have been like for you as a kid? What would that have taught you about life and about work?
Do you have a memory like that? I don't, and neither do my kids... until recently. Because I remembered how much fun it was to move and dance and glide to music as a kid, and that felt like something that is actually fun.
So I tried it! And now, before I start household chores, I often turn on some music- whatever I'm in the mood for- and sway and move to the beat and glide and dance my emotions as I do the dishes, mop the floor, dust, wipe off counters or tidy up. I'll sing along or make up silly dance moves. My heartrate increases, my emotions run free, I can feel the endorphins building a zest for life, and bonus: my chores get done really fast and I feel exhilaration and thrill and freedom! It is truly fun to move my body this way! My teenage daughter caught me doing this and said she was "concerned." I just giggled and went on my way.
I'm thrilled to have found something fun to add to my list and I'm on the lookout for more fun things I enjoy doing that bring the thrill of life to the moment!
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