Good Madness vs. Crazy Busy

Last week, I was presenting at a work conference in Erie, Pennsylvania (ever the exotic destination!). There were great presentations and even better discussions, but the part I loved best was connecting with people – my team in particular – and in some cases, colleagues and friends that I hadn’t seen since pre-COVID orders.

However, as I was talking with people, the thing that hit me was the absolute common answer to “how have you been?” I bet you already know it. I bet it’s your answer too. Say it with me, peeps. “Busy”, “Crazy busy”, “Really f-ing busy”.

It’s my answer too – “crazy busy, stupid busy” – and this is NOT ok! In part, it’s not ok because it keeps us from thinking about what we actually truly feel and think. Busy has become a combination of a numbing tool, a true state of the majority of us, and sometimes a way to make people feel important (all y’all are important – the world would be a far worse place without you in it).

But it’s also not ok because it keeps us from connecting and having fun! I’ve been thinking about that a lot over the past few months – how to have more fun. Over the summer I read a book called “The Power of Fun” by Catherine Price and recently watched her Ted Talk (https://www.ted.com/talks/catherine_price_why_having_fun_is_the_secret_to_a_healthier_life?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare) on the same topic. She identifies fun as a feeling – not an activity – and proposes that we think of anything that we do that’s not work is “fun”, including doom-scrolling social media (which is my idea of the EXACT OPPOSITE of fun). Ms. Price also writes that the feeling of fun is a visceral sense of lightness and joy; it’s letting go of perfectionism and embracing playfulness, connection, and flow. But my favorite part of the Ted Talk is her quote: “Break the rules of responsible adulthood and give yourself permission to get a kick out of your own life.”

Easier said than done, right?

So, how do we insert more fun into our daily lives? That’s part of what I’m trying to do with my 50 List – finding the Good Madness, instead of being just Crazy Busy. As it is, I feel like I do a lot of important things in work and family life, but if I had to identify truly fun feelings over the last couple of months – they are few and far between. Certainly deep, meaningful conversations with friends and family qualify as fun for me (come at me with all your thoughts about life and love and dreams, but I never want to talk about surface-level crap again, people), but the sense of “lightness and joy” has been largely absent. I feel as though when my kids were younger, it was easier to feel that lightness and joy regularly, maybe because they were so great at truly having fun.

How do you feel fun in your daily life? How do you find your Good Madness instead of the Crazy Busy?