Why don’t adults include simple, old-fashioned fun in their lives?

The world has always been a busy place, and now it seems like it’s gotten even busier than ever.  There’s always something to do, whether it’s work, kids, older parents, and other things.  There’s always something to worry about–money, job, health issues, relationships, you name it.  We have so many things on our mind and so many things to keep us busy, that we forget to take a break from the things that weigh down on us and have some fun, if only for half an hour.

Do you recall what it was like to be a kid?  Sure, we had problems then that appeared as big to us as the problems we have now.  We worried about facing the bully at school, making our parents upset with a bad grade on our report card, and getting that cool toy everybody else had.  Somehow, despite the problems we had as kids, we managed to have fun.  What a stress reliever it was to run out to the swings on the playground or rush down the hill on our bike!  It was cool to get together with our friends up the street and play with them outside in their backyard.  During that time when we were busy having fun, we didn’t think about the different problems we had.  All we focused on was that moment and having fun.

It’s all too easy to make excuses not to have fun: I can’t get time off from work, I don’t have the money, I have to clean to clean the house, I have to do the laundry, I have to go grocery shopping, and so on.  These are very legitimate excuses.  However, having fun doesn’t have to take a lot of time or money.  You can take a short walk in the local park or your neighborhood to enjoy the outdoors.  You can get together with friends for a simple supper or tea with munchies (it’s the company that matters, not the elaborateness of the meal).  And if you have a bike or some old board games, dust them off and start using them.  Not too long ago, I played Monopoly with my boyfriend for the first time since I was a teenager and I felt like a kid laughing, joking, and having just plain fun.

Acknowledging that we all have an inner child that wants and needs to have fun should not be a luxury.  Taking even a minimal amount of time to have fun is a necessity to both our physical and mental well-being.  Having a little fun can relax our bodies and minds, in turn making us better at work, with our families and friends, and in dealing with our problems.  A little fun can give us a more positive attitude and outlook on life in general.  If just a small time investment can do so much good, why aren’t more of us making an effort to put some fun in our lives?

Why, indeed.