Just For Fun

When was the last time you did something just for fun? 

I’m the kind of person who likes to have a plan. But I’m also the kind of person who can easily drop that plan and be spontaneous. 

However, I think I most often find myself in “productive mode”. Everything I do needs to have a purpose and an industrious outcome. For instance, I take my crochet everywhere, because who wants to sit in the doctor’s office and just do nothing. That is wasting time! If I don’t have my crochet, I find myself playing on my phone too much, and everyone knows what a time sucker that is. 

I think we grownups are not so good at doing things just for fun. We have so many responsibilities and duties and we often give those priority over the things that help us loosen up and just enjoy life.

Yesterday evening we were picking produce at my grandparents’ house and someone mentioned that it was the perfect beach day. She had just come home from taking her kids to the beach and the tide was low and there was no wind. I could have come up with a lot of excuses to just head home after leaving my grandparents’ house, but instead of turning left, I turned right and we got there just after the sun had disappeared over the horizon. 

It really was a beautiful and calm night. I settled down cross-legged on the sand with the baby in my lap and determined that I would not pull out my phone and instead just enjoy watching my kids play. But then I caught the sweet silhouette of my daughter as she stood on a large stump and had an idea.

Pretty soon we were having all kinds of fun as we came up with different poses for different shots. They all took turns being the model, and even the little guy (my strong-willed 3-year-old), who didn't want anything to do with it at first, got in on the action.

This beach trip took very little planning or effort. I took most of the photos of the kids as I was sitting and nursing the baby. But it was so FUN! It’s an evening that I won't soon forget, and I’m sure the kids will be wanting to go back to the beach soon. Actually, as we were buckling up to leave, one of them quite obviously asked me what we were planning to do tomorrow. I’m thinking they were already scheming another beach trip. 

Life is so serious, mamas, and I know you have so much to do and are working so hard, but I want to encourage you to carve out some time to just have fun. You don’t have to leave your home to do it, you just have to leave behind whatever expectations you have for yourself and make some enjoyable memories. I've been too serious for too long, its been a while since I did something just for fun with my kids, and it shows that they have been craving it!

My childhood memories don’t consist of whether my mama had a clean house or kept up with laundry. The best ones are filled with the trips we took up river or planting the garden together. Those fun moments are the ones that last in our children’s memories and make the biggest impact.

So go make some fun memories, mama! 

Lots of love, 

Lee