LIFESTYLE FOR ALL AGES
> Local Sports: Wheaton College - NCAA Tournament
> Wheaton Living by Christine Litavsky
> Seasonal: Celebrate Spring 2010
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 THE EVOLUTION OF FUN
My definition of fun has changed over the years.
When I was thirteen, staying up all night with friends was fun. There was nothing I’d rather do. That I felt terrible the entire next day was irrelevant; it actually was – oddly enough – an essential part of the whole experience.
During my pre- Facebook high school day days, fun meant being out and about. The only way to remain in the social loop was to be present at an event. Staying home was not an option, and “fun” meant attending whatever meeting, game or party that was underway.
In college, fun meant doing everything with my pledge class and never entering a room alone. We ate together, sang together, cried together, and celebrated together. Fun meant never having to look for entertainment; you were surrounded by it via your sorority sisters.
When my husband and I were newly married, fun meant going to hear different bands, usually far too loud for the small venues in which they performed. We loved nothing more than sitting together listening – and sometimes dancing to – live music.
It’s easy for me to review different stages of my life and see what I did for fun. It’s not as simple to articulate what my “fun” looks like today. Many things I currently enjoy I wouldn’t label as “fun”, but they do make me content and fulfilled. Here are just a few of them:
- Recording a song with my stepbrother, in a real recording studio
- Watching my son play baseball
- Finding baby birds in nests and showing them to my kids
- Sledding down the hill at our cabin
- Running in the early morning with my close friend
- Talking about books with my oldest daughter
- Going on a date with my husband
- Teaching kids a bible lesson
There’s no rhyme or reason to the things I enjoy most at this stage of my life. However, a glance through my list helps me realize my examples revolve around one thing – quality time with someone I care about. Perhaps I’m identifying these things as “fun” because like the sleepovers of old, they don’t occur as often as I’d like. The sheer busyness of these days often prevents me from slowing down and focusing on those people most important to me.
But when I do slow down, I glimpse grace all around me. These are the times I now treasure.
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About Christine: Christine Litavsky is a writer, wife and mother of three. She's lived in Wheaton since she was four years old, and is now raising her children there. Her work has appeared in numerous print and online publications including The Wheaton Sun, The Wheaton Sport Center Magazine, Christianbiblestudies.com and Next2Eden.com. Christine loves to write about daily glimpes of grace; those often overlooked events that add beauty to our busy lives.
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