Doing Life Together

I realize that I don’t do any of these things very often. Why not? I ought to block out some time for fun.

The thing that I do most regularly for fun is enjoy music. I’m in the church choir. That involves many Sunday mornings and most Wednesday evenings.

I also love to listen to music, which I do less of now, because my husband and I have different ways to listen. I’ll put on a CD and listen to it straight through. Greg will turn up the volume and then skip through the CD, bypassing songs that I like and just listening to one or two that he’s in the mood for. So, I’ll go to my study to listen, but after a few minutes Greg will call me for help. He’s disabled and drops things that he can’t pick up, or asks me to get him water or a snack or find something for him. That means that I need to keep the volume turned low so that I can hear him, and be prepared to jump up and help him. Not conducive to losing myself in the music.

I also have a lovely grand piano and a guitar and several recorders. Do I play them? Hardly ever anymore. But I want to.

I love to read. I have hundreds, maybe thousands, of books. I read while I eat breakfast, usually whatever book we’re using for bible study. At lunch, I read whatever strikes my fancy. I keep my latest magazines in the bathroom so that I can knock off an article if I’m going to be sitting in there awhile. I have the Kindle app on my phone and hundreds of books on it, so I always have something to read in the doctor’s waiting room (Greg or I have at least one doctor’s appointment and one or two physical therapy appointments each week). On the rare occasions when I can’t sleep, I’ll get up and read for an hour. That usually calms me down so that I can finally sleep.

I usually have at least one quilt in progress. That’s my favorite creative outlet these days. I have the next three quilts planned, and ideas for many more percolating. I usually set aside Saturday morning and one other, generally Wednesday, for working on my quilts. I save handwork (like binding, or removing paper from paper-pieced blocks) for when I’m watching TV, which I do less than I used to, because I only like a few shows.

I also like to dance, specifically international folk dancing. I gather with a group of friends every Friday morning for a 75-minute session. In the 2000s and 2010s, when Greg was still pretty healthy, I would go dance with the Phoenix International Folk Dancers every Tuesday night for three hours. I don’t have the energy for that anymore. I’m usually dying for a nap around 6 PM. I’m hoping that if I ever get my energy back, I can occasionally go dance for a couple of hours.

I don’t get to see them nearly as often as I’d like, but I’m delighted to spend time with my kids and grandkids. For example, my son often invites me to events at his church. My daughter often invites me to places where we can walk (or hike) around outdoors and enjoy beautiful landscapes and flowers, like the botanical garden, the arboretum, and various city and county parks. And it’s so much fun to watch our grandkids grow.

I like to spend time outside. I used to take a daily walk, but that happens more like once a month or so now. I used to hike a couple times a month, but I think I’ve gone once since the pandemic. Sometimes, when the weather allows, I’ll eat lunch outside on the patio. I don’t know why, but even a PB&J tastes better outside. During the summer, I like to take a dip in the pool, and then read on the patio and sip a glass of water or lemonade or iced tea.

I can’t close without mentioning art. I love to draw and paint with watercolors. My favorite kind of art to make is Zentangle. And, just as with every other item on this list, I do less of it than I used to do and than I want to.

What about you? What do you like to do for fun? Are you able to make time for it? How do you manage to squeeze it in around all your obligations? Share your thoughts in the comments below.