{"id":354,"date":"2009-04-23T14:40:20","date_gmt":"2009-04-23T14:40:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/freshliving\/2009\/04\/are-you-having-enough-fun.html"},"modified":"2009-04-23T14:40:20","modified_gmt":"2009-04-23T14:40:20","slug":"are-you-having-enough-fun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/freshliving\/2009\/04\/are-you-having-enough-fun.html","title":{"rendered":"Are You Having Enough Fun?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"trampolinewoman.jpg\"That’s what a couple of people have asked me lately. It’s a bad sign that my mind goes blank and I just blink, right? Um, fun? Ohhh, fuuun. And a friend just posted to Facebook: “X is tired of being so hard on herself. She would like to be responsible, organized, and still have fun. There hasn’t been nearly enough fun lately.” I am with her. And study after study and a new spate of books<\/a> have come out about the healing power of play<\/a>, spontaneous downtime, real joy, flow. <\/p>\n

Presuming I’m not the only fun-stunted grown-up out there–it seems like fun is the first thing to go when people are stressed, especially about cash–I’ve made a list for you and me on how to have more fun. (Fun is obviously subjective, though–one woman’s puzzle is another woman’s nightmare–so these are just ideas to inspire.)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

50 Ways to Have More Fun<\/strong><\/p>\n

1) Bounce on a trampoline<\/p>\n

2) Watch 30 Rock on Hulu.com<\/a><\/p>\n

3) Make a list of music you’d love to hear live. Get tickets.<\/p>\n

4) Pull together your friends and\/or family for a jamboree–of homemade and real instruments<\/p>\n

5) Go dancing<\/p>\n

6) Book a cheap flight <\/a><\/p>\n

7) Relax in a hammock<\/p>\n

8) Go swimming<\/p>\n

9) Check off a few items on your life list<\/a><\/p>\n

10) Make a life list<\/a><\/p>\n

11) Go to the zoo<\/p>\n

12) Find one un-fun thing you can NOT do and don’t do it<\/p>\n

13) Read a juicy novel<\/p>\n

14) Write a juicy novel<\/p>\n

15) Go bowling<\/p>\n

16) Do bumper cars<\/p>\n

17) Draw<\/p>\n

18) Fingerpaint<\/p>\n

19) Invent a new dessert. Share.<\/p>\n

20) Make a stuffed animal<\/p>\n

21) Create an altar<\/p>\n

22) Play ball–basket, base, tennis, dodge<\/p>\n

23) Run<\/p>\n

24) Take a froofy scented bath<\/p>\n

25)  Get on a boat<\/p>\n

26) Adopt a goat<\/a><\/p>\n

27) Visit a farm<\/a><\/p>\n

28) Take a guided tour<\/p>\n

29) Go to a museum you would never normally consider<\/p>\n

30) Walk a dog (borrow if you need to)<\/p>\n

31) Visit someone you love. Or invite them to visit you.<\/p>\n

32) Paint a mural<\/p>\n

33) Learn to stand on your head<\/p>\n

34) Cuddle<\/p>\n

35) Go for a picnic–on your living room floor if need be<\/p>\n

36) Visit Cuteoverload.com<\/a><\/p>\n

37) Have a progressive potluck <\/a>with your neighbors<\/p>\n

38) Make raw chocolate<\/a><\/p>\n

39) Ride a bike<\/p>\n

40) Play frisbee<\/p>\n

41) Have an afternoon tea party where everyone has to wear a hat<\/p>\n

42) Make your own ice cream sandwiches<\/p>\n

43) Make your own ice cream with an ice cream ball<\/a><\/p>\n

44) Hop on a train or a bus and go somewhere you’ve never been–within an hour of your home<\/p>\n

45) Go to a make-your-own-pottery place<\/p>\n

46) Buy a fruit or vegetable you’ve never had (like Buddha’s Hand<\/a>)<\/p>\n

47) Have a clothing swap<\/a> with friends<\/p>\n

48)  Have a house swap <\/a>with strangers<\/p>\n

49) Make a music mix. Groove.<\/p>\n

50) Have a poetry reading<\/p>\n

What do you do for fun?<\/strong> <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

That’s what a couple of people have asked me lately. It’s a bad sign that my mind goes blank and I just blink, right? Um, fun? Ohhh, fuuun. And a friend just posted to Facebook: “X is tired of being so hard on herself. She would like to be responsible, organized, and still have fun. There…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-354","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-by-valerie-reiss","category-holistic-living"],"yoast_head":"\nAre You Having Enough Fun? - Fresh Living<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/freshliving\/2009\/04\/are-you-having-enough-fun.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Are You Having Enough Fun? - Fresh Living\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"That’s what a couple of people have asked me lately. 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She was a founding editor at Breathe magazine, and her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Newsweek, Women's Health, Natural Health, Yoga Journal, Lime.com, Vegetarian Times, and ABCNEWS.com. A native New Yorker, Valerie holds an M.S. from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism and a B.A. from Beloit College in Creative Writing with a minor in Women's Studies. She also lived in Maui for a while where she drank green papaya juice and taught some creative writing. 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