Here's a thought….
We have been asked to write a short column for Carlisle Living magazine – and I thought I would share them with you.
When was the last time you had fun?
Go on; think about it… if you can honestly say that you’ve had a really great time quite recently, congratulations, you are in a happy minority! Usually, asking someone when they last really had fun brings them up short. It suddenly can seem that life is flying by. Sometimes we are so busy keeping up with the pace of life, change and technology, rushing around doing the chores as well as comparing the prices of electricity and sliced bread that we forget to take time out for the important things – such as having fun.
Having fun doesn’t have to be selfish – but it can be. Having fun doesn’t have to be active – but it can be. Having fun doesn’t have to be play – some lucky folk have great fun at work! When Kath Smart asked if I would be happy to write a column for this new magazine my first thought was “that sounds like a fun thing to do”. If I had thought it would be more hassle – I wouldn’t be doing it! I know that we can’t all choose how we spend all our time. But I also know that if we don’t actively choose to spend a bit of time on fun – the moment will be gone.
We timetable dental appointments and we work around other people’s schedules all the time. If you read the first question and couldn’t remember the last time you had a good laugh, timetable some fun into your life! Promise yourself that every month or every week you will do something that you enjoy. Book a pedicure… watch a movie… Sit down and finish that book you’re reading… Catch up with that friend you keep meaning to call! See how you can turn everyday work or chores into something a bit more fun – or make sure there is a precious moment each day to look forward to and enjoy – you deserve it!
Tags: having fun downshifting
August 12th, 2009 at 7:24 am
Reviewing life can only be a good thing. It led me to downshift and swap a life of 50-60 hour weeks on the outskirts of London for 40 hour weeks on the remote west coast of S Island, New Zealand. I feel as if I’ve stepped back 30 or 40 years in time. Fun might be a sharing a romantic walk on the wild beach or a glass of wine watching the sunset over the Tasman Sea – at the bottom of my garden, it might even be chopping wood for the log burner – I’m getting the hang of it! It includes getting into gardening and having something fresh from the garden almost every day. It might also be enjoying the view of snowy mountains – crisp and appearing almost close enough to touch, or looking down the coast to the tallest mountain in NZ in the distance – often seeing it on my 5 minute cycle to work. Or it oculd be standing on top of one of those mountains with skis and sunglasses, taking in the 360 degree view of the Southern Alps and then racing my partner down the blue slope.
I’m more of an employee than I used to be, with less freedom there, but I’m working in a field that I have deliberatly chosen after much consideration, and taking the kind of advice available through “Stepping off” – conservation – it feeds my soul. I haven’t much money, but I have abundance in many other ways, including time and love.