vitamin F

I pretty much have to have some fun every day - vitamin F for fun. It doesn't have to be complicated or expensive. Sometimes it's a new T shirt to wear to work, sometimes it's a magazine in the mail that I actually take time to read, a stop at the beach for a few minutes on the way home, an unhurried phone call to Mom, a nap, a movie... lots of things are fun to me. Yesterday's massage was fun, but of course cost limits how much of that kind of fun I can have. When I know I'm going to do something fun I can almost feel the brain chemicals, good ones, being pumped into my system, helping me to be healthy and calm. And when I have regular fun I have a hard time feeling sorry for myself. So fun really is like a vitamin, and well worth having on a regular basis.



mixed medium by a local artist
 I've been meaning to copy this method only with my cat 



I have fun just thinking about having fun. For over a year now I've been thinking about an artistic project I'd like to do. Last year I used one of my groupons to an art store to buy paints. I bought a canvas and primed it. I set up an easel in my bedroom - and then I put it all away because the room got too crowded and I wasn't having time to paint anyway. I continue to plan it though. I've taken pictures of the kind of thing I want to paint, I've collected papers of various colors that I want to use. As much fun as it's been to think about, I can only imagine how great it will be to put the plan into action.

The pergola has been fun to think about and that project has probably been in the works for over a year. I'm having fun putting a really cool gray stain on it now - looks like driftwood and matches the color of the metal roof on the house. I'm really excited about getting the right kind of vines growing over it. Yeah, work can be fun. (I wish it were fun all the time.)

And when work isn't really fun, it's almost always fun to have it over with good results. I'm often out in the yard, sweaty and covered with a layer of dirt from lawn work, usually bleeding from being poked or scraped by a dangerous plant and I'll run into neighbor Al. He comes out in the driveway to let his dog Al (yes they're both Als) out and he invariably asks me "having fun yet?" And I always tell him yes because I feel great when I'm outside working.

One of my favorite quotes is "If you never did, you should. These things are fun, and fun is good." Dr. S. got it right.  It's my opinion that God likes for me to have fun and he especially likes it when I share it with other people. I should plan our monthly dinner club outing with Jack for this weekend - it would be fun not to cook! But right now, today's fun is breaking out the Cozy Shack rice pudding and enjoying a half hour read (or make it nap if I can't stay awake). If you're reading this, I hope you have a good dose of fun today too.