Kids, amirite?

While I may not have any of my own children (too busy living that DINK, Dual Income No Kids life,) I do very much enjoy spending time with other people’s children. Primarily because they are just so much FUN - they are silly, find most of my jokes funny, and are usually a bit baffling to me. They are also fountains of wisdom, which leads us in to this newsletter.

Recently I was having dinner with my nephew after a busy day of basketball ( I taught him how to “No-Look Pass”, which we were both surprised I knew and was able to execute), snacks, multiple books and a dance break. I was tired and sore, having the aforementioned stamina of a DINK and using what I am affectionally calling ‘basketball muscles’ for the first time in a while.

While I was momentarily focused on my exhaustion, my nephew turned to my sister and said -

“Mummy, I’m so happy right now.”

Which is apparently, a VERY NORMAL thing for him to do. It was so incredibly sweet and completely stopped me in my tracks.

In the middle of a very ordinary, daily moment, to acknowledge, out loud how happy you are?

When was the last time I did that?

Type 1 Fun Versus Type 2 Fun

So let’s look at the different types of fun - Type 1 and Type 2 Fun.

Type 1 fun is fun while it’s happening.

It’s dinner with people you like, a long walk on a warm evening, laughing with friends, a quiet Saturday morning with no plans (or a plan based off a list, the pinnacle of fun.)

You know it’s good while you’re inside it.

Type 2 fun is different, in that it’s not always fun in the moment.

It’s learning something difficult, starting something new, training for something hard, or for me, mountain biking.

It might be something you need to convince yourself to do and it might not be fun the whole time you’re doing it, but later you think “Wow, that was a great experience.”

Adults Are Very Good at Type 2 Fun

Something I’ve been noticing lately is that adults are extremely committed to Type 2 fun.

We have big goals we’re working towards, we’re building or improving something, whether it’s something external or ourselves, our happiness and fitness.

But sometimes we are so focused on future satisfaction that we forget to notice present happiness.

We assume the payoff comes later, or that we get some kind of reward for living life on hard mode.

My nephew was not waiting for later - he was completely happy, in the moment.

The Balance Is the Whole Point

Of course, we do have big goals and there are going to be things that are hard in the moment, but rewarding later. As someone who started her own business and always has some kind of habit tracker/goal list going, I know that small steps today mean bigger results tomorrow. But this can not be the only kind of happiness and fun I am letting in.

So, it’s about balance.

And, it’s about pausing in your everyday life to check in and see if you’re currently happy at the present moment.

And if you are, why not say it out loud?

It might just inspire someone else to notice that they’re happy, too.

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