finding the fun

My days are occupied with things that must and have to be done. When I do find a few minutes of me time, I usually don't even know what to do with myself. I don't want to spend my "fun" time doing things that aren't fun for me. It's about time I figure out what I enjoy. 

I'm finally self-aware enough to not be under the impression that just because I'm supposed to like something, I will. Growing up, and especially in high school, I thought I had to like all the things my friends liked in addition to everything I really liked. So I listened to Alanis Morissette and Smashing Pumpkins and wore horrid brown lipstick when really I loved any song from the 80's and preferred chapstick until I was in college. Now I'm old enough and wise enough to know that just because something is fun for someone else doesn't mean it is fun for me. And while I can admire the skills of others, there are just some things I will never have an aptitude for, such as drawing, playing chess or the piano. I'm not even creative enough to do crafts on my own without copying someone else's work. But that's okay. Isn't that the whole point behind Pinterest? 

So the question comes down to: What do I find fun? You'd think that would be an easy question to answer but I was having a difficult time with it until I thought about my computer's browser history. What do I spend time looking at when I have nothing better to do? My own inclinations were pretty clear at that point. 

Books. I love to read and I always have. Books have been a desired gift since before I learned to read by myself. And fantasy books make up the greater majority of what I tend to collect. I'm a sucker for a made-up world or new magic system. The Wheel of Time, Stephen King, Harry Potter, Alice in Wonderland or Peter Pan. I'm often attracted to books that are deemed children's literature and especially love any that have a unique way with words. If you've ever read Peter Pan you'll know what I mean. Most of my evenings are spent reading after Penny is in bed. I'm very luck that many nights I have a couple hours to read anything I fancy and, consequently, I go through books relatively quickly. This also means I'm always on the lookout for something new to read. I love Amazon for the product recommendations and Goodreads for their reviews. Both have become invaluable in finding new materials. 

Makeup. I'm more than a little addicted to makeup and beauty products. It began in junior high as a way to cover up my acne and has turned into a full-fledged love affair that I spend quite a bit of time on. I love the ritual and care associated with applying makeup. I don't care too much about getting elaborate with my routine but I LOVE trying new products and finding what really works for me. I would spend all day at Sephora, taking home a sample of every item if I could. I enjoy reading product reviews, watching YouTube tutorials and making wish lists for when birthday money comes around. I really am a little obsessive about it. Most of my days are spent at home so I don't usually put makeup on but the days I do go out, it feels extra special to put some care and time into making myself feel good. Because that's what it comes down to for me. 

Craftiness and Decorating. Like I said before, I like the idea of being crafty and do-it-yourself-ish. I'm just not great at it. But it really is something I enjoy and want to get better at. I read a variety of home decorating magazines and visit decor blogs, trying to increase my interior design capabilities. I also enjoy scrapbooking and want to get into creating a digital one. Then two years ago for Christmas I bought Jason a secondhand nightstand and secretly refinished it for him. I fell in love with the process and have been hankering to do other pieces of furniture. All of these are things I'd like to do more of. Finish the scrapbook I began 13 years ago (yeah, I know it's been a long time), decorate the new house (more on that to come), and find more furniture to refinish. 

So that's it. That's what I've come up with. Doesn't seem like much when you get it all down on paper but, really, how many truly enjoyable hobbies does one person need? I think 3 is probably sufficient for now. Especially with a daughter who has just decided that naps won't fit into her busy lifestyle. So this is my question for you: Do you know what you find fun? If you don't know, maybe you should take a little bit and figure it out. Fill up your free time with only things you enjoy doing. Isn't that the dream? 

My gosh this was a long one. Sorry about that. Good for you if you made it this far. I award you 10 extra points and 3 units of gold stars.