A few weeks ago, I read an interesting post from Martha Beck about “radical fun.” She writes, fun is a skill. Most of us are terrible at it. We immediately turn to tired stereotypes, clichés like sleeping on the beach, drinking, eating too much, and spending a lot of money. I have nothing against these activities, but they’re pathetic attempts at creating genuine exuberant joyful feelings…. What did you do for fun as a child? Our fun preferences appear very early in our lives and tend to remain extremely stable over time. What was fun for you at age 2 will probably be the most fun you can have at 92.
In reading that last sentence, I found myself transported back to my childhood in Baltimore, MD. The summers were long, very hot and there was little air conditioning. I spent many happy hours reading on my friend’s porch while lying on a “glider.” When it was cool enough, particularly in the spring, summer evenings and fall, we played countless rounds of “tin can jimmy,” which is very similar to “kick the can.” On winter nights, we played a variety of games with our parents, our favorite being “Scrabble.” When it was just the kids, “Monopoly” ruled. We had games that lasted for days.
I think that Beck was right as I still love to play games. Since our home has been a popular place for the kids to come, I’ve found myself wanting to go out and join them for a game of “kick the can.” Lately, there has been some discussion among the adults of playing “laser tag” and “paint ball.”
So today’s activity is to remember the times in your childhood when you were having the most fun and try to incorporate some of these activities into your day. Some ideas to consider:
• Go to your local park, particularly when the kids are in school, and swing.
• If there no one to play board games with, you can do it on-line. Here are just a few examples:
Scrabble
Boggle
• There are lots of arcade games to play on-line.
• Play your favorite music from childhood.
• Re read the book you most loved as a child.
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