FUN

Have you heard the phrase, "What if the Hokey Pokey is what it's all about?"

There is some truth to that. What if FUN is what it's all about? What if playing games and singing songs and dancing around is what it's all about? What if?

Then working your fingers to the bone, accumulating debt and things and being tired and crabby is NOT what it's all about. Then many of us are missing out on a really important part of life. The people having fun are the ones we're attracted to. Deep down don't we all want to be included in the party?

I recently road my bike by a graveyard and saw a grave stone that was prepared for a couple. It had their names and dates of birth engraved on it. It had their children's names on it. It also said, "Proud members of the Fun Bunch." Wow, what a concept. They seem to me to be fully prepared for the end of their lives and fully aware that having fun is what it's all about.

"Live life fully while you're here. Experience everything. Take care of yourself and your friends. Have FUN, be crazy, be weird. Go out and screw up! You're going to anyway, so you might as well enjoy the process." ~Anthony Robbins

I asked my children what was fun to them. A bouncy house. A slip 'n' slide. Fishing. Watching fireworks. Oh, to have a child's eyes (and lack of self-consciousness) when it comes to fun.
I know an adult's idea of fun can be a little different than a child's. Maybe it is the same, just done in a different way. You can dance, but take lessons. You can sing, maybe just in the shower. You can play, it's just not duck, duck, goose. Or maybe it is.

Here is a list I recently made of ways to spark fun. Please choose 3 and do them. Today.

• Listen to music loud in the car by yourself singing loudly. Roll the windows down. Sing to the people in the car next to you. Use your thumb as a microphone.
• Play tennis. Especially if you've never played before. Pink balls preferred. By yourself - try to do both sides.
• Wear shirts with funny sayings or pictures on them.
• Learn some jokes that really make you laugh. Then try to tell them to as many people as possible. At least until you can do it without laughing. (here's a good one: A pirate walks into a bar and he has a ship's steering wheel attached to the front of his pants. The bartender asks him, "What's up with the steering wheel?' and the pirate answers, "Arrr, it's driving me nuts")
• Eat a donut. With lots of icky frosting and sprinkles. Or maybe pancakes with sprinkles on them.
• Dance. Anywhere. Anytime.
• Bury yourself in the sand at the beach. Bonus points for having kids bury you. Bonus, bonus if they're not your kids.
• Play video games. Especially simulator ones you get to sit on - like a motorcycle or ATV. Or wii.
• 3 words: Dance Dance Revolution
• Go to a music concert. Preferably loud rock or a music festival. Don't forget to crowd surf.
  
• Make up new words to songs.
• Jump in a bouncy house, or on a trampoline. Bonus points for a flip that doesn't land you on your head.
  
• Get a pogo stick or a hula hoop.
• Go on a frog hunt. Bonus points if you catch one and it pees on your hand.
• Go watch fireworks. Outside in your pajamas, laying on a blanket right underneath where they are being shot off.

The last one we did on Saturday night. Enjoy.

Halloween

Can you guess what we are?
I'll give you a hint. The milkman did it.


The kids and their pumpkins. Scary, huh?

Bear down, Chicago Bears! Originally Super Salad wanted to be Godzilla, then a mummy. Freight Train wanted to be a recycling man. Because he already was a garbage man last Halloween and the recycling guy is totally different, ya know? We talked them both into being Chicago Bears football players with some cool helmets that they wear all the time.

About the only thing little miss kitty was agreeable to was being a kitty. Oh, and eating candy. Otherwise everything else was "NO".

Minnesota

25 days of my favorite things - #10

You are correct, that does say Minnesota. I love Minnesota. Not in a we're-better-than-you-are way, it's just that I grew up in Minnesota (closer to Canada than anything else) and I think everyone has certain things they love about where they grew up because that's what they knew. I do have other places I love - Chicago, Florida, San Francisco - but Minnesota is where I choose to live and love.
Probably the 2 biggest reasons I love it are Lakes and Seasons. Of course Minnesota is "The Land of 10,000 lakes". Actually 11,842 to be a little more accurate. I grew up on a lake, literally and figuratively. My Dad's house is on lakeshore for one. And then there's the fact that we spent most of our free time in it or on it - boating, fishing, ice fishing, skating, swimming, tubing, water skiing, jet skiing. I even learned how to drive a car on a lake (minus the ice ridge incident). I can't imagine living anywhere you can't drive in any direction for less than 30 miles before running into a lake. I'm funny that way. There's a reason why hockey is so huge here (St. Paul recently named Hockey Town USA by Sports Illustrated). Where else in the world do High Schools actually have hockey cheerleaders? (yes, I was one)
And the seasons. True four seasons and all their extremes. I've always said that my favorite season is the beginning of each one. Too long in any weather condition and I just plain get bored - I like the variety. And I'm not sure I could live someplace that never gets snow. At my son's ice skating lessons the other day I listened to some women speak of this same thing. One woman said she enjoys a good blizzard! The thing is, we LIKE the cold. My husband calls it the battle of the elements. Being able to prove we can somehow survive going out in blinding snow and -60 wind chill. Don't let any complaining fool you. In fact, that's part of what we like - to have it be really cold and complain about it. Tomorrow, January 19, the weather forecast for Minneapolis is a high of -5. A HIGH. Wind chills from -27 to -37 below 0. So if you know someone in Minnesota, call them up. I'm sure they'll tell you all about the cold and complain about it too. Just remember, they just might be loving it.

Books

25 days of my favorite things - # 9

Unofficially, bread was #8, although I think I may make it the 2nd addendum to Food (glorious, food!). Today I'm celebrating the equally large and all encompassing category of BOOKS (glorious, books!).
My name is Marya, and I'm a bookaholic. Which is not an easy thing to get over as many of my friends and family are too. I avoid Barnes & Noble and other stores, I've tried the library, and I've even signed up for Booksfree.com. I used to keep them (or hoard them, depending on who you ask). At least now I can give them away. I sell them on Ebay, I give them to Goodwill and give them away as Christmas presents. But I just can't stop! I've resigned myself to my wish list on Amazon and at least try to pace myself.
I've also gotten much pickier about the types of books I read. Funny, but it hasn't seemed to diminish my selection in any way. In my teens I read a lot of Stephen King and sci fi and classics. Then I started reading more historical fiction and best sellers. Now I love good short stories. Stories from real people telling about real and wonderful events. And yoga, and inspiration, and manifesting, and wellness, and quantum physics, and on and on.
I also tend to read several books at a time. It doesn't always make me feel productive but at least there's one for my moods:
The book for light reading or fun: Timepiece and The Letter by Richard Paul Evans
The book for bedtime reading: The Bhagavad-Gita (qualifies for several categories)
The book for inspiration: Inspiration, Your Ultimate Calling by Dr. Wayne Dyer
The book for deeper learning: Ask and it is Given by Hicks-Abraham

Read any good books lately?

10th day of the new year and I'm burnt

I'm a little off track, so unofficially this is '25 days of my favorite things, day: whatever it is'

Bread

I do love a loaf of fresh-baked, homemade bread. A short while back I found an old recipe I had clipped on how to make a sourdough bread started. I decided to give it a try (I love sourdough).
For those of you who have never done it, a sourdough starter is made by putting flour and water together and just letting it sit until it starts to ferment and make it's own yeast. There are some rules and regs around this, i.e. have to add to it the first 6 days, have to cover with a cloth, have to take from it at least once a week, then add again, etc, etc. I have made numerous other breads before, I thought, "what could be so hard about sourdough?" HA!
I started before new years (I should have a counter: BREAD, DAY 12!) My first batch was conceived on 1/5 to be brought to a gathering. Bread did not rise sufficiently and did not cook all the way through. Hello gathering, meet plan B.
I changed my strategy. Through a miracle (or mistake, depending on which way you look at it) I changed cloths and managed to create a stinky, bubbly bowl of starter. By the way, it's supposed to stink. (like beer)
Today was ATTEMPT 2. It rose nicely, well, too nicely. By the time I put the thing in the oven tonight at 9:41pm (!) it was enormous. It must have air pockets the size of Texas. Darn near went over the edge of the pan. Then for reasons unknown, the top is now a deep, dark brown. Almost burnt. Why? Oh, the tragedy. Stay tuned for pictures, and follow-up of ATTEMPT3.

People are strange only if you act like a stranger

25 days of my favorite things - #7

People. Yes, I love people. All people, even the ones that I hate. Sometimes (most often when you are in good mood and your mind is relatively free) you can really appreciate people and just smile and enjoy the way they are – all of them. For example, I recently went to the grocery store. The day before Christmas Eve to be exact. I really tried to avoid it because I know what it’s like. I live in a suburb of 25,000 with one grocery store. What was I thinking? But I was happy and not in a hurry so I could afford to just be peaceful and enjoy the trip. It was snowing like crazy. Frankly, it was beautiful, if you don’t mind the craziness of it all.

I entered the store just watching people and smiling. There was the Rip Taylor look alike with shorter hair and a fancy fanny pack (yes, people still wear them). In the produce section there was the older lady with grey curly hair wearing a leather Pink Ladies jacket (brings me back to my days of Grease 2 obsession). There was the older tall lady wearing a luxurious coat (I only saw her going away down the aisle). And the younger couple- she was about 7-8 months pregnant – and the woman who looks like I normally do at the grocery store, with tired eyes and a frantic get-me-out-of-here-now! look towing 3 young children who are bouncing around the aisle oblivious to their mom’s fatigue. Fascinating to watch. Yet I love it all! Sometimes if you are not in a hurry and distracted by your own life you can really appreciate people, strangers and all.

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy

25 days of my favorite things, #6: Happiness
I found this great quote on the Abraham-Hicks blog www.abraham-hicks.lilly6.com and I am in love.

“A happy life is just a string of happy moments. But most people don’t allow the happy moment, because they’re so busy trying to get a happy life.” – Abraham-Hicks

Yesterday I had the most beautiful happy moment. I actually thought to myself “I’m so happy I could just cry!”. We (kids and me - husband has been out of town for 13 days now) were scheduled to get the venerable holiday photo yesterday morning. We tried last weekend but Anthony kept throwing up (which turned out to be strep). 10 minutes before we were to leave yesterday, Eden threw up too. It really makes me think we were never meant to have these pictures.

It is 2 days before Christmas and my baby is vomiting. I know at some point last week she actually had her brother’s toothbrush in her mouth so I suppose on some level I’d be surprised if this didn’t happen. I figured it would be best to just go get the strep test out of the way. I also had to go to the bank and the post office. So I loaded up the van and drove in to Shakopee (sung to the tune of the Beverly Hillbillies by the way). Before our day at the MinuteClinic (minute my patootie) I went through the drive-through at Caribou Coffee to get a latte.

We are sitting in the car listening to Christmas songs. We are watching people bustling in and out of the shops in the adjacent strip mall, people shoveling the fresh snow off the sidewalks, and people generally moving about their business. There is an air of cheer. It seems so clichéd but it’s true. I think the stress of the holidays has melted into excitement now that it’s so close. You can feel it out loud. I looked over and saw a woman from the beauty shop shoveling outside. A couple walked up to her and gave her a card and a gift. I don’t know why (besides the obvious) but it was such a touching moment. In that moment I felt generosity, caring, human tenderness. I felt so happy I wanted to cry.

May you all be blessed with many happy moments, and the ability to allow the happy moments.

Friends are Family - Part II

25 days of my Favorite Things - #4
I do have other friends besides my neighbors, I'd like to sing their praises now. First, there is my yoga advanced teacher training group, AKA, my therapy group. The most amazing, wonderful, helpful, non-judgmental people I have ever met. For the last 2 years we have met at least once a month (and often much more) to study and learn more about all facets of Yoga. In the process we've been through 2 births, several deaths, a move, many family dramas, and started a new company. They have changed my life for the better.
Then, I have friends from various other places - my best friend from college, friends from old workplaces, friends through yoga and preschool. The people who I don't get to see as often as I'd like, but when I do it's as if we just saw each other yesterday.
Like SE. Last Sunday I took my kids to the mall to see Santa. For 5 hours. After one look at the mile long line we went to have lunch. After that my husband left to go out of town and we were left to fend for ourselves. On the way back to Santa we ran into SE. After a big - haven't-seen-you-in-over-a-year hug, she exclaimed "I'm having the worst day!" She had also been there since the mall opened but after 45 minutes in line with Santa and one toddler head smack to the floor she went home. After dropping the toddler off for nap she came back only to find that Santa was going on break in 30 minutes and they weren't letting anyone in line.
To make a long story short, we spent the afternoon together and finally did get to see Santa. Both of us admitted we wouldn't have stayed had it not been for the other. And it turned out to be a pretty great day.
God loves a friend, especially when they turn up in the most unexpected places for the most necessary of reasons.

Friends are family - part I

25 days of my favorite things - #3
Not to discount my family, but right now so many of my friends and neighbors are my family. Many of my family live some distance away and even the ones we love we don't see often enough. I am lucky enough - knowing that I chose this place and these people, I still consider myself lucky and fortunate - to live in the best neighborhood in the world. My best friend since 1st grade lives 6 houses away and next to her is also someone who grew up in my hometown. I spend New Year's, 4th of July and many other holidays with my neighbors and we all have our "annual events" - the Weird Beer Party, Halloween Party, the Rocket party, camping, the softball team and the scrapbook group.
They are the people I call if my husband's out of town and I'm pregnant and sick with the flu and I just need to sleep - they take my kids for the day. They are the people I call if I promised my kids we'd make cookies that look like pizza and I just need 1 egg and my husband scrambled the last of the eggs yesterday. They are the people I call if I forgot to return the movie to the library and "hey - are you going into town today?". They are the people who call me when their daughter awakens at 1am with febrile seizures. We bring gifts and dinners to the new parents bringing home the newborn from the hospital - or Korea or Vietnam. And then we all call each other when one us finds a lump in her breast while feeding the 6 month old (he is now almost 5 and mom is doing great). I am eternally grateful for these people - my friends.

"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born." - Anais Nin

FRecycling

25 days of my favorite things: #2
FRecycling, as in Recycling with an F. Oddly enough, that is what my 4 year old calls it - Frecycling. He is obsessed with trash, garbage, garbage trucks, compost. You name it. If it's associated with garbage he's a fan. His favorite book is Trashy Town and his favorite video is There Goes a Garbage Truck. When he grows up he wants to be the guy that drives the lawn compost truck. We're hoping he'll take that desire and invent a new and better way to dispose of garbage. Need I say more?
Which leads me to my favorite things for today. My husband calls me a pack rat, I call myself a recycler. In my house if it can be used again, it damn well better. I donate to Goodwill and the Veterans, I resell on Ebay, I tape up books and rent or borrow things whenever I can.
Last night I made bread pudding (to use up those old husks of bread that don't get eaten and that I in turn throw in the freezer for later use). Orange Raisin Bread Pudding on a cold winter night is yummy. Now on to those frozen brown bananas...
Here are some cool people who are doing the same and turning trash into trashion. Take a look, wonder at their ingenuity, then buy something for your sister or mother. (P.S. these are not advertisements and I'm not getting paid, these are just sites I found that I like and that have cool stuff) Happy shopping!
www. ebay.com - of course the king site of re-use
www.refinding.com - trendy uses for those old tires, etc.
www.branchhome.com - some new, some recycled, all sustainable
www.halftheskydesigns.com - a new kind of bag
www.thegreenfuse.com - eco-friendly jewelry and recycled car metal art (a friend of mine!)
If you know of any other great sites the relate to recycling - please pass them on! I love looking at the wonder of what is offered via the internet.

My favorite things...

I'm not feeling creative as of late. I think I went a little creatively crazy a couple of weeks ago and wore myself out. I know I have things to say - like they're on the tip of my tongue - but yet just can't remember what it was. Alas.
I'm musing on my favorite things. Partly because Christmas time makes me think of it, partly because I'm focusing very hard on positive things. My "happy place" if you will. That pretty much brings me to things I love, my favorites. We could call it the 25 days of Favorite Things.
#1: COMFORTABLE CLOTHES
Last night as I was flipping the channels (that's how uncreative I am right now) and came across a show whereby 3 people choose wardrobes for a 4th person. I'm not sure the dynamics but I'm guessing 2 are the best friends/sister/co-worker and the 3rd is a true stylist or otherwise fashion type person. While wearing a dress this "stylist" picked out the woman said the beads at the cuffs and hems were too heavy (it was a weird dress. period.) The man - yes man - replied "who cares how it feels as long as it looks good!" An off-hand remark, yes, but telling all the same.
Because she obviously cared how it feels. And I care how it feels. I might be miss-nerves-on-top-of-her-skin but I'm guessin' I'm not alone. Are you with me? Maybe I'm just getting picky in my old age but - good grief! Do all things beautiful have to be uncomfortable or even painful? Life is too short. I stopped wearing high heels the day I stopped working at a bank. I spend $45 on a bra so I don't have to know it's there (and it lifts and pushes together). Even then I take it off as soon as I know no one is looking. Thank GOD for tagless design so I can stop cutting them all out.
Final word: In our house we call our comfy clothes Gumby Gear. And its not because Gumby was rigid and inflexible.