The Fun Side of Adulting

When we are little, we want to be grown. When we are grown, we realize the realities of being grown come with a lot of responsibility and it becomes not quite as fun. As I’ve gone through adulthood, I have decided to become more playful and fun, and it’s just because I can. Adulting doesn’t have to be a grind, so I have found, and I’m fascinated by the things I have the authority to do and not a single person can tell me to do otherwise. When you live long enough, you realize that life can be short and life can be long, and the things you do everyday make up the sum of your life.

Why not let it be fun? Being playful doesn’t have to stay in childhood, and it makes life a lot more enjoyable when you can find things that make it like a game. And not the Hunger Games. I’m talking about Candy Land, Charades, and Go Fish. There’s a time and place to take things seriously, but sometimes we just have to lighten up, and that’s what this blog is about. If you’re stuck in a rut, I hope this helps you release the pressure valve and have a little fun in this adult life.

So many of us are told that when we reach a certain age, the fun stops and the reality hits. What does that even mean? What is reality? For me, I want my reality to involve whimsy and humor and delight. Just because I am now an adult does not mean I can’t exercise my right to enjoy my life. I’m an adult! I get to decide. I have a rule of thumb that states “if you’re not paying my bills then you don’t get a say in how I run my life.” Then I forget that, though, and old programming takes over.

Often I’ll be rigid and serious, stressed out over things that don’t need to happen. Pressure comes from every orifice of my body and bursts out like fireworks. The whole reason I’m writing this now is to remind myself that things are just not that serious, not that deep. I am allowed to have fun in my life, and so are you. So FFS, let’s have some fun.

Working from My Bed

I get it. You’re in a rut, you’re in survival mode, you’re not up for fun. Hear me out, though. When was the last time you laughed? Really laughed, like a belly laugh. It is medicine that we could never get from anywhere else but having fun with ourselves or with someone else. Whenever I am stressing out or spiraling downward, I can take a pause and realize that I am simply not having enough fun in life. Letting myself enjoy the beautiful life I’ve been given for this relatively short amount of time is very important to me, and I take that seriously. But not too seriously. That would ruin the fun vibe. Let’s discover some ways of how to have fun as an adulting, and how to make adulting fun. Same, same.

Eat Dessert Anytime You Want

When I was married, I remember my husband telling a kid we were with that he could eat dessert at anytime, and that was one of the best things about being an adult. I couldn’t have agreed more. We didn’t agree on much else, but that was felt solidarity. After that, I realized it was in fact fun to eat dessert at any damn time of the day, and sometimes in place of a “real” meal, like dinner. Because why not? I’m an adult and I can do that. Who’s stopping me? Me? Not today.

No Bed Time

The irony here is that I get to go sleep super early, which is my preference. No one is bothering me to stay up late or do things I don’t want to do, like brush my teeth. Don’t worry, I brush my teeth, and some may think excessively. But guess what? No one is making me. And when I get into my bed, it wasn’t even made up from the morning because I didn’t want to make it. Why make up my bed when I’m just going to get into it later? And if it’s a really good day, I’m taking a nap so the frequency of getting into my bed in a day outweighs the need to make up the bed. Adulting! So great!

Karaoke All the Time

My audience is my pets, and they seem to be pleased with what I produce when I belt out my many karaoke songs at home. Soon I want to get a microphone and drag other unsuspecting adults into this mayhem, but for now, karaoke is spontaneous and frequent in my home. There’s nothing like singing songs at any hour of the day, and shaking my a** all over the house singing. It’s a spectacular sight, and one which I’m very fond of doing. Adults, if you don’t have a karaoke practice, I beg you to start one.

My Money, My Vacations

It’s not unusual for people to say to me “you’re traveling again?” Or “where’s the next trip?” Because they know I spend much of my time and money on travels. I’m a solo traveler by preference, and I go all in. While I’m not into luxury travel, you will absolutely find me indulging myself in all things travel-related. Whether it’s things to make my plane ride more comfortable or experiences while I’m in a new place or the fanciest travel credit card, I’m going for it. No apologies, and no one to tell me no. Even my bank account has no say in this matter.

Cats GALORE

This is truly one of my biggest loves of being an adult, and it’s collecting cats. This could go for any animal of your preference, but I’m going to stick with cats since they seem to sniff me out like I’m a can of tuna. Little more brings me as much joy as feeding what feels like my 32 cats that all love me to pieces. Food is the way to their hearts, and I bring the food. There’s always another cat that finds me, and I welcome the cat with open arms and Friskies cans. Other adults find this behavior a bit odd, but it makes me so happy. So guess what? Imma keep doing it. I’m an adult. I allow myself.

Create New Traditions

Creating new traditions for myself has definitely been one of the most fun parts of adulthood. My most favorite is my annual Christmas market trip to Europe, where I discover new and previously attended Christmas markets. It’s become a whole thing for me, and I couldn’t be happier with my tradition. Again, I am the only one paying my bills so I am the one that gets a say in this activity, and it’s glorious. My second favorite is throwing a king cake party each year at my house. I’m from New Orleans and we do this for carnival season. Truly magical. If you’re in need of some fun for yourself, make a tradition and try it out. Bring the fun!

Dress How You Wanna

I absolutely love being the boss of my outfits. Fashion is one of my favorite ways to express myself, and express myself I certainly do. I’m a huge fan of incorporating vintage clothing and apparel into my modern day dress. My style is very much my own, and it’s taken much of my adult life to develop this style. And truly, it’s not one style. You can’t pinpoint me as “preppy” or “bohemian” or any other classification. I’m a smorgasbord of style, and I love that I’m able to be that as an adult. Having fun with my clothes and how I wear things is a huge part of incorporating fun into my adult life.

Get the...(Tattoo)

Maybe this is just for myself, but it’s in relation to anything your parents told you not to do that you always wanted to do. For me, it was getting a tattoo. At 45 years old, I finally decided to go ahead and get one. As I’m writing this, I haven’t yet because I want to get it when I am in my soul city, Paris, but it’s happening. Getting to make my body look the way I want it to ink-wise is something I’ve been having an internal struggle forever. Now, I decided to go for it and I could not be happier. This is spicing things up for my adult life, and adding a lot of fun when I look in the mirror. I’m so excited for this to happen.

Relaxing in the Grass

We talked about how to add some fun into your life, but I want to talk to you about why, particularly the benefits of having fun. Play and fun are not things that should be left in childhood, and the world would be a much better place if we did have more laughs, more jokes, and a lighter side to us. Seriously, it’s just not that serious. Let’s discuss why having fun would be super beneficial to your everyday life and see if you agree.

Sayonara Stress

Saying goodbye to stress forever may not happen, but it will definitely alleviate it if you’re having more fun in your life. It’s impossible to be in the moment, having a good time, and stressed out about your actual or made-up problems. From my own experience, many of my issues start and need to stop in my head, so I welcome any freedom from these intrusive thoughts. In a nutshell, I like to have fun and I feel better. Simple as that.

Keep Your Youth

When you’re having a good time, you naturally look and feel younger. One goes with the other, and it’s a mutually beneficial relationship. Happy people are more pleasant to be around, and I always find that their youthful spirit gives them a younger face. Somehow, lightness makes us look and feel…lighter. When you can continue the path of fun and curiosity in your life, age is but a number. You never stop being interested or interesting. How amazing is that?

Energized

Energy is a funny thing. I notice that when I’m stressed out and depleted, I can’t do much. As I write this, I’m in my bed because I’ve had such a stressful month. When I decided to write a blog I could use for myself (this one), the minute I started writing it I felt energized. Just thinking about being playful and fun gave me a boost that I have been missing for quite some time. Life got the better of me, and I wasn’t living my best life. That all changes now, with this blog, though.

What Problems?

Fun and play doesn’t completely eradicate problems, but it can reduce them. I’m sure you’ve been in an argument with someone you care about and one of you creates a disruption by making a joke. This gives you a little perspective to see if the issue is silly and not worth continuing on. It’s a relief when you are the person or you have a person who can make things more fun and lighter in heavier situations. Most things in life we perceive to be problems just aren’t that deep, so let’s stop making them and have some freaking fun.

Mental Health Holiday

Lately, my life has been heavier than it normally is and I wonder if my mental health is taking a beating. My thoughts err on the side of negative, and I spiral mentally out of control more easily. It’s not comfortable. When I decided in needed to change this, I remembered some tools that I have accumulated over the years, fun being one of them. And yes, as an adult, having fun becomes a tool and skill at times. We ditched it when we got houses and cars and jobs, and I propose bringing it back in full form. What I can tell you is this: my mental state is much healthier with a few more laughs in my life. Whaddayaknow? Laughing works! I’m happier.

On My Annual Christmas Market Trip

Friends, let’s all take a deep breath and remember that our lives are what we make of them. Spinning out, spiraling downward, stressing out..none of this works long term. My adult life has consisted of me finding ways to revert back into the childhood I wish I had had, and when I can do this successfully, it works for me. It’s a powerful sensation to be able to be an adult, with all the normal responsibilities that an adult has, and still be able to throw some fun in there. Don’t underestimate the power of having fun and customizing it for yourself. These are my ideas and some ways I’ve learned to better enjoy my life. As I go, I’ll add more to this list so I can keep giving you ideas on having fun in your own life. Now let’s go have some fun.

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