More fun

January 01, 2024

I’ve done a lot of things in the last year — I walked a little over 4.000.000 steps (which is about 2900 kilometers), and I rode my bicycle for 1700 kilometers more. I started lifting weights for the first time in decades. I read 116 books. I wrote a post here every day — even when I wasn't really feeling like it. I slept on average for 7 hours and 16 minutes per day — and had countless naps. I changed jobs and slowly I am starting to see the benefits of it. I stayed sober (that is almost three and a half years now!) and I think I was mostly a good person to myself and others. I had more good days than bad days in 2023 — I didn't keep a count on that, but it just feels like that. And I had fun doing that.

But I feel like I didn't have enough fun with all the fun I had. That might be my resolution — to have more fun. And the main point in having more fun is to stop flagellating myself for mistakes (real or imaginary) that I feel I make. To give myself space for making the said mistakes. To stop trying to be perfect in all aspects of my life and not to expect perfection from myself and especially from others. So, this resolution seems like a chore already, but I know that if I work on that, I will have more benefits in my day-to-day life. The good thing is that I am aware of that, and that is a good step — and step by step I will get where I want to be.

But let's talk more about having real fun. I can have fun in countless ways — reading new books, learning about new things and ideas, thinking, and finding conclusions to that thinking process. I have fun constantly discovering new art and beauty in the world that surrounds me. Listening and discovering new music, not just new songs and artists, but whole new genres — like I found myself listening to a lot of choral (classical and modern) music last year, and liking it a lot. I am not above laughing out loud watching funny videos. But I think I have the most fun when I travel, and I didn't do that enough last year. So, more travel = more fun, and that resolution seems very easy to keep.