February Fun

February is kind of a slump month. January is over. Resolutions have faded. Real life has begun. Last February, I essentially started Lent early, fasting from activities I deemed "fun." I hoped living the ascetic life would promote more productivity, more focus, more regulation. Spoiler alert. It didn't. So this year, I am trying something different. I am trying to overcome the February slump by adding fun. In that vein, I'm planning to post things that have brought me fun each Friday. These could be activities, events, fun articles, etc., just whatever brings me fun.

First, what is fun? For the purpose of this project, I am just going to go with the definition of play. Gretchen Rubin (2018) defines play in her book, The Happiness Project as: “an activity that’s very satisfying, has no economic significance, doesn’t create social harm, and doesn’t necessarily lead to praise or recognition.” Brene Brown (2010), in her book, The Gifts of Imperfection, links in fun, writing that we play for the sake of play. We do it because it's fun and we want to" (p. 100). Annie F. Downs (2021) talks about fun in terms of being an amateur. Whatever it is, it is supposed to be lighthearted, not necessarily easy, but not arduous either. so without further ado, fun from this week:

-I organized pictures and made a sunrise photo album on my computer. Organizing things brings me joy. It's fun

-I ate lunch while walking around the park. Maybe not the best for my digestion, but it was fun!

-I took pictures of my overnight oats in a peanut butter jar.

(Are we noticing a theme here? I like taking pictures. This is no surprise to family and friends who find me constantly snapping away.)

-I made a list of different things I could do 52 of this year (you know, for 52 weeks). This started with the Taco Tuesday cookbook, and now I wonder what else I could do. I have to be  careful that this does not turn into another stress, but for now, it is fun.

-I took pictures of tea I have tried so far (the start of a 52 list?)

-I started walking on the treadmill. I have never liked treadmills, but for some reason, it has appealed to me lately. I don't have to go outside. I know how much time X number of miles will take me. I get on and zone out and just read books on Libby (the library app on my phone). It's calming, too!

-I bought new nail polish. Nail polish is self care for me. Picking it out was fun! I had wanted glitter, and glitter, iridescent is what I got.

--

I hope to continue the fun this next week. I will probably keep doing some of these things. Maybe I will add others. Lord willing, I will keep you updated.

References:

Brown, B. (2010). The gifts of imperfection. Hazelden Publishing.

Downs, A.F. (2021). That sounds fun: The joys of being an amateur, the power of falling in love, and why you need a hobby. Revell Publishing.

Rubin, G. (2018). The happiness project. Harper Collins Publishers.