Planning Joy

This past week was a miserable one for me - sinus infection got me down and I was convinced that life is just one damn chore after another in a life filled with fatigue and misery.

But in my perpetual search for joy, I came across a web site with some ideas for putting pleasure back into my daily slog through life.

Creating a comfort list and pleasure program is the page I wound up on. This woke me up to the fact that I've been forgetting to have fun, lately. When I look around, all I see are the chores and what I "should" be doing. Somehow I think I can't have fun until I've gotten out from under those chores.

In an effort to squeeze in some fun, I bought a jigsaw puzzle and set it up on the dining table. Not a good idea. While I do enjoy a bit of that from time to time, I can't say I really think of that as fun, as in make me laugh and spark my imagination. Plus it's in my way when I eat (which is a lot more fun to me than any old puzzle!)

What I like about this list at the Straight from the Heart website, is that you can plan fun things of different time requirements, so that there's always something you can squeeze in if you want. Also, looking at the example list reminds me that I do some of these things already, but don't remember to enjoy them as much as I should -- I think of them as escape, which invokes guilt and resentment, instead of as respite, renewal, and comfort, which I so richly deserve.

This list also reminds me to think about what I really like. And one of the things I'd forgotten about was -- novelty. I don't like doing the same things over and over, even fun things, such as reading a good book. I need to see new places, or try new things. That's a big jolt of fun for me.

But what I really like about this list is that it reminds me that I can have fun if I want to. And that gives me the most hope and joy -- to remember that it's all under my control.