One Fun Thing: A Strategy For Living

It’s April of 2024, and I’ve been working 10-20 hours every weekend for the better part of the last 13 month. This is on top of my day job.

After all, I’m trying to out run my emotions by drowning them out in being exhausted from working. I’m trying, desperately, to claw my way out of the hole I’ve been left in. And I’m exhausted.

I get a text Saturday night. I happen to have a rare Sunday off.

“Hey, someone dropped out of our Drag Brunch reservation. You wanna join us?” A friend is inviting me. I’ve gotten so insular that I’ve forgotten what invitations to places feel like. I am about to say no, but then, I stop myself. I haven’t done anything for myself, just for fun, in months. I am deeply at the bottom of the well, and I figure, why not? How much would it reasonably cost to have a few mimosas and a meal? Would losing the work day really set me back that far?

So I say yes. And I have fun. So much fun. I’d been so deeply sad the year prior that I was fully incapable of having and being fun. I felt, having gone, that I was a little shiny, a little sparkly. Like I had a little of myself back.

I thought to myself, “maybe I need something like this.” That’s when I came up with the strategy of “one fun thing.” Where I prioritize fun amongst the chaos of life. One fun thing does not have to be expensive or exhaustive. It doesn’t have to be the same thing for everybody. But there has to be a few things that it is:

Strategy for “One Fun Thing”:

I ask myself a few questions when thinking about “one fun thing.”

• Does this fall into what I find to be fun? Fun isn’t the same for everybody. For me, fun is defined as reading and writing, and occassionally traveling. Fun does not have to include alcohol, new restaurants, or uncomfortable clothing.
• How often do I need to do “one fun thing”? When I started, I could only manage to do “one fun thing” a month. Now, I get to do one fun thing a week, and that makes me so happy.
• Is this making me happy? Sometimes, I’ll go along with other peoples “fun thing” for my own sake, so I can pretend to have fun doing things with them. This “can” be fun, but is not always fun for me. I want my fun to focus on me, and what I enjoy.

Ultimately, this is just a little way I am trying to focus on prioritizing myself this year. One fun thing a week, that I enjoy, that makes me happy.

Do you do something like this? How do you prioritize fun things in your life? Let me know in comments.

-M