Leisure: Fun Is What It Is

According to Geoff Godbey, a sociology professor at Pennsylvania State University, “At the end of your life, what you’ve done with your leisure may be more important than what you’ve done at work.”

To that end, researchers have written entire books on the subject (Stella Rheingold’s “101 Fun Things To Do in Retirement”); others (Dorothy Cantor, “What Do You Want to Do When You Grow Up?”) have listed criteria for selecting good leisure activities.

As for the first book, I’m not interested in jewelry making, scrapbooking or pottery. And regarding the second, I have my own criteria.

1. It has to be fun. Sounds easy. But I’m so used to doing things because I have to, I’ll need to give myself permission to say no to the unfun.
2. Do no harm. I’ve eliminated skateboarding and the annual rattlesnake hunt at Sweetwater.
3. It can do some good. Bicycling is fun and keeps the weight down, but in a balanced life fun is an OK goal all by itself.
4. It must allow spontaneity. I’m thinking about impromptu mini-vacations (minutes, hours or days—with the added bonus of stories for this blog).
5. It needs to make room for creativity. Surprise me, Mike.

Did I mention leisure must be fun?