when we've forgotten how to have fun

At some point in our lives, we’ve all had fun. All of us. For some of us, it may have been a fleeting second sometime in 2005, but we have all had something happen to us, with us, around us that brought a smile to our face and a lightness to our being.

It’s hard to have fun these days for a number of reasons. The obvious one, of course, is that there are people running things at the moment who seem to get off on causing misery.

There must be other reasons, however. There usually are. For me, personally, it’s waiting—I don’t deal well with uncertainty and so I’d like to know right away what I need to do to prepare for that vague something that’s ahead of all of us. It might be other reasons for you, personal reasons that only you know.

I’m not writing to recount why we’re all anxious and miserable, though. No, I’m writing to remind you (and perhaps myself) how to have fun.

I am thinking back to the most fun I’ve had and here are some common elements:

• Spontaneity

• Laughter and humor

• Good company, not always with familiar people

• Doing things for the sheer joy of doing them

• Feeding curiosity (otherwise known as “What happens when I push this button?”)

• Music

• Liquor and cursing a blue streak (sometimes, not gonna lie)

I used to be funny—perhaps this is just me humoring myself. I used to laugh far more often than I do now. Then again, satire used to be funny, too, instead of just frighteningly prescient.

I will laugh again. I look forward to more joy in my life, however short or long it may be.

I have glimpses of joy now and again. It’s still there. You must have seen it, too. How do we enjoy it?

I think the elements that worked before still work. Good company is always good company. Music is always music. They’re classic. The things that lift our spirits never go out of style. And though they may be hard to see, the things that bring us joy are always just under our noses.

We can do this. We haven’t forgotten how to have fun. It’s just that we might need a refresher. We can do this.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to practice my spontaneity and go streak the neighbors …

on the walk to school

I go to school on Sundays.

No, not Sunday school. No, not to learn. To prepare for the week ahead.

I figured out several years ago that, while I can fly by the seat of my pants when it comes to my work as an educator, it’s not the best idea for me or for my anxiety. Most classroom teachers have a curriculum they can refer to —I don’t, and each of my students are working on very different skills at very different levels and have very different learning styles. I would say that they have very different interests, but a lot of them seem to enjoy Minecraft. Not all of them, though!

What I do with students requires me to be responsive, so there is a lot of improvisation that happens. A couple of years ago, though, I had an epiphany: if I spend a little time every Sunday preparing myself, my stress level goes down significantly.

Today was a typical Sunday.

The walk over was pleasant. It’s nice that the sun was out, even if the weather was cool. I had a series of videos I had to watch in order to check off a box by tomorrow —there are a lot of boxes to be checked off in the world of education. While I listened, I prepared communication books for teachers to use with their students. Currently, I have a fully-functioning printer and a laminator that a friend got me. I also invested in googly eyes and construction paper on Saturday in order to top up my supplies, so I was able to prepare for an activity that I know from experience all students love (puppets, anyone?).

It is amazing what having adequate resources will do for your mood. It is amazing what adequate preparation and having enough time will do for your mood. It is amazing what a bit of sunshine will do for your mood —I mean, let’s be honest.

What was the purpose of this blog? Nothing really. We’re just a couple of friends talking about what educators do with their weekends. There might be a little something in there pointing out the obvious —resources help people feel like they can manage their lives. No reason at all for this blog.

Have a great week.