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January 1, 2008 This year's mission, should I choose to accept it, and I never actually give myself the choice.... 
I spent some time on my days off writing up a few New Year's Resolutions in my actual paper journal. It started out innocently enough: 1. keep exercising 5-6 days/week But then the absurdity of the list struck me, and I devolved into my bloggy voice: 8. cure cancer I'm not sure what it says about me or my participation in this medium that even when I am writing to myself, I find myself writing to you. But there it is. Of course the list is absurd, and even when I struck out the obvious absurdities: 1. keep exercising 5-6 days/week, on average (exceptions made for sick days/weeks/months) --something is missing. "Missing!" you say. "Missing? Sanity, maybe? Balance? Your mind?" But no, I don't think that's it. Many of the things on that list I already do--I'm just pushing myself a little and using the resolutions to remind myself of my priorities throughout the year. Sort of a "you're doing well, keep it up!" (And if you're looking for a secret to painless resolutioning, you could do worse than start there.) But then I got an email from nanowrimo, about the Big Fun Scary Challenge, which is a forum they provide for their members to write about the Big Fun Scary thing(s) they are challenging themselves to do over 2008. Great idea! Doesn't that sound more exciting than New Year's Resolutions? Big, Fun, Scary. I've got the big: exercising, finish the novel, volunteering. I've got the scary: keep submitting. I've got the ... hold on. ... So that's what's missing. You know. Fun. Yep, I'm looking at that list again, and there's no Fun. It's easy to see how it fell off the table. You know, child to rear, full-time job to attend, trying to write, house to clean, laundry to do, exercise to fit in, sleep to ... sleep. Fun? Is this some exotic new lifestyle craze, another cultural import for the young people? Well, never let it be said that I'm not willing to try something new. I'm sure I can do this Fun thing. Let's try this once more, eliminating everything that will almost certainly happen just because I'm already doing it: 1. Test my blood sugar at least four times a day (this used to be a habit, but has become a casualty of single motherhood. I need to start doing this more regularly again). And adding some of this watchamacallit, Fun. Like, oh, jeez, I don't know. Shouldn't this be easy? Like maybe I should steal Yankee's idea for taking a picture every day. That could be Fun. Or maybe I could do some scrapbooking about something that's not Frances. Or actually pick up one of my non-literary hobbies again, on some limited basis--sewing or stitching. Or maybe I could even involve other people! Maybe I could leave the house! (Keep in mind, single mom, this is not easy.) Oh oh oh! I could see a movie! (Wait, do they still show movies in theatres?) This is all quite dizzying. I feel faint. Good thing I'm sitting down. Still, I think I have it: 5. I resolve to do nothing remotely productive between the time I get home on Friday afternoons until Saturday morning. No exercising, no writing for publication, no reading for Improvement, no grocery shopping, no housework, no laundry, no cooking for leftovers. I'm having Fun on Fridays if it kills me, dammit. And it might. Posted by Andrea at January 1, 2008 8:34 AM under Me EMAIL this entry (comments fields are below this section) Comments You WILL have fun, more and more as time goes on. I just know it. Posted by: yankee,transferred at January 1, 2008 11:15 AM
Friday night fun. I like it. Wishing you a 2008 full of Big Scary Fun. Posted by: Madeleine at January 1, 2008 11:17 AM
May you find the joy in having fun! Happy New Year!! Posted by: LauraJ at January 1, 2008 12:08 PM
Good for you! And I've been meaning to tell you -- sign me up for volunteering two hours a month. I've been struggling to decide what to do but I think I'm just going to start at our local drop-in centre... Posted by: cinnamon gurl at January 1, 2008 1:55 PM
That sounds like a great list! Do you get to count blogging as fun? Posted by: rian at January 1, 2008 2:37 PM
None of your resolutions involve Frances. If you put her in there, you'd surely add some fun to your life... I can't speak for you but for myself, a good resolution would be to spend one full hour (per day? per week?) focusing on my children exclusively -- no washing dishes while talking to the them, no writing, no reading, no watching TV, no nagging them to clean up: just focusing on the children. Alternatively I'd put in something I'd like to teach them. Or something I'd like to learn from them. And happy New Year, Andrea!!! Posted by: Jennifer at January 1, 2008 2:45 PM
cinnamon--great, thanks. :) rian: I think that depends on teh day in question. Sometimes it's fun, sometimes it's work. jennifer, I don't know. Our time in the evenings on weekdays is already so limited (about an hour, and we have to do supper and cleaning up in there)--I don't really see her on Saturdays, so Sunday is our only "fun day." It's already pretty constrained (chores and eating and what have you) so the last thing I want to do is add another obligation to my Frances time. I'm afraid that would make it harder to enjoy it. If that makes sense. She is pretty good at thinking up wht to do with her time anyway--it's as much as I can do to keep up with her. Posted by: Andrea
I love your Friday Fun idea. More fun in the new year can't be a bad thing. Off to read more. Your blog is a great place to fall into the words. Happy 2008! Posted by: heathadahlin at January 2, 2008 2:24 AM
Thanks. :) And nice to meet you. Posted by: Andrea
Hooray for Friday fun! Posted by: Kristina at January 2, 2008 4:31 PM
What I'm really hoping for is to find one to join--it's not easy. So far, anyway. But if I do I will let you know. Posted by: Andrea
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Change is God (Octavia Butler, Parable Series) "Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better. What if they are a little course, and you may get your coat soiled or torn? What if you do fail, and get fairly rolled in the dirt once or twice. Up again, you shall never be so afraid of a tumble." Ralph Waldo Emerson Email Frances! frances AT athenadreaming DOT org You can email her mother too (that's me):
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