Are We Having Fun Yet?

The journey of life is full of lessons, many of which are difficult, but the reward....the lesson of laughter and fun. What would it all be for if we couldn't have fun! I love comedians because they can make the most stressful things sound funny. Perhaps, even when we are bogged down by life's stresses, we could just pretend for a moment that all of the craziness is great material for a stand up comic, we could benefit from seeing the humor in all of it sometimes. When my oldest, now fourteen was three, I asked him what he liked about being here. His answer was simple, "I like all the stuff." He still loves the toys...namely games and of course his xBox. My daughter likes being here to play and socialize. The toys never really appealed to her. My youngest is a combination of the two, he likes his toys but equally loves to socialize. We also call him Casanova because he loves to kiss and hug. I'll have to keep a very close eye on him when he reaches adolescence. My kids picked a good mommy this time around, because I am the queen of fun. My girlfriend recently joked that she is going to pick me as her mom in her next life. I love to take the kids on weekend trips (time permitting), basketball, outings like bowling, mini-golfing and the movies. Sometimes fun does not have to cost a lot of money. We absolutely love to play card games like hearts. As soon as my kids could hold the cards, they were at the table playing with us. Baking cookies is fun, the cost is minimal and of course the end result is yummy. Dancing around the living room is fun and helps the kids sleep better at night. Music is just lots of fun anyway, whether it's dancing incognito around the house, out at a club or going to a concert. Backyard camp outs are free and lots of fun. Yeah, my back kinda aches after sleeping in the fort, but it's worth it. My girlfriend has lots of fun playing catch with her kids. I look on Facebook and lots of people look like they are having fun. I notice that sports are a big past time for many and has now taken center stage in my life since all three of my kids play sports now. I grew up in a household of all girls, so sporting events never made my list of fun things to do, but I am adjusting and I love it actually. I also notice on Facebook that many others are traveling to cool places, having fun with their kids and family and some are even sky diving. All of those things sound like lots of fun. I enjoyed the movie Yes Man, because a formerly "poor me" guy turns into a social maniac, when he begins to say yes to life and starts having fun. Life is about so many things, but without fun, it can get pretty boring and monotonous. Going with the flow can be fun, when you allow fun to be with any opportunity, especially when it is something unexpected. Why can't we have fun everyday? Who says that we have to be serious all of the time? We can even have fun while getting things done. My kids have had water fights while cleaning and they laugh the whole time. I notice too many people so serious all the time. A mom at the pediatricians office was chastising her son for having too much fun. He was just making quiet noises, while he was playing with the train set. I've counseled many individuals who told me how they were yelled at as kids for playing too loudly, laughing too much or getting too excited. No wonder so many people are afraid to have fun. They were conditioned to be quiet, be serious and stop being so childish. Oh come on.....let's all be a little childish! People give themselves permission to have fun at Disneyland or on vacation, although I've seen serious people at Disneyland too but yes, Disney seems to lighten up even the most hardened souls. My motto, have fun as often as possible, not only at Disney. Life is an adventure, full of ups and downs, so never ever forget, to have lots of fun along the way! "In between goals is a thing called life that has to be lived and enjoyed"...(Sid Caesar).