Fun. Frivolity. Joviality. Who cares!?
But seriously, who cares about fun, frivolity, and joviality?
The truth is, we all would benefit from caring about these characteristics.
Recently, I was talking with one of my patients, Jane, about the importance and role of fun in one’s self-care practices. Jane made amply clear that her (scheduled) self-care practices were on point and effective.
Be-still, my linear thinking heart.
Jane – while scheduling self-care is important, practicing self-care that is FUN is equally important!
Jane, stunned, looked at me with bewilderment. “What do you mean? I have fun! I go out and just watch the neighbourhood from my front porch on the daily!”
Flat faced and sarcastically, I responded: No doubt your internal kids LOVE the scheduled playtime – just as the kids in Sound of Music did with the Baroness’s scheduling of frivolity. *Insert deadpan eyes*
“Fun, frivolity, and joviality is a critical aspect of self-care. These are the foundations of confidence, connectivity, and creativity. And you cannot, necessarily, schedule fun!”
But this conversation was also a reflective point of importance for me. When was the last time I had fun? My similarity with Jane was striking.
Subsequent to our session, I emailed Jane and shared with her a recent fiction publication I engaged with – imagine that: Finding fun, frivolity, and joviality in fiction writing! How novel! (Yes, pun intended).
“Jane – knowing how we both appreciate literature, how about you connect with at a recent fiction publication by a very creative Yukon film-maker and writer, Ms. Lulu Keating (https://www.cbc.ca/shortdocs/filmmakers/lulu-keating).
In her recent publication, Splinter and Shard (https://ecwpress.com/products/splinter-shard), Keating writes a variety of short stories that spark one’s captivation and intrigue. And sometimes, don’t we need just a little unscheduled captivation and intrigue?”
So, in addition to Jane, I encourage you – my reader – to explore the fun, frivolity, and joviality that is inherent in Keating’s recent publication. I am confident you will be captivated by her stories…maybe even you’ll be inspired to explore the northern, remote regions of Canada (i.e., Dawson City, Yukon)!
- Books and Company, Picton, ON:
https://pictonbookstore.com/item/jxxbdRJkVbIALQ2WI71VHA - Caversham Booksellers, Toronto, ON:
https://www.cavershambooksellers.com/search/9781770417458 - Mac’s Fireweed Books, Whitehorse, YT:
https://www.macsbooks.ca/item/jxxbdRJkVbIALQ2WI71VHA
Interested in meeting Ms. Lulu Keating in person at a reading? If you are in Toronto on Wednesday, 5 June 2024, Ms. Keating is offering an in-person reading at Noonan’s Pub (https://noonanspub.ca/) at 6:30pm EDT.
Want to know more about a specific topic related to psychotherapy? Send me an email (adam@cwcp.ca) and let me know so I can write a blog post about it. And if you would like an honorable mention for your recommendation, let me know that too and I will include your name!
