Greetings from the University of New Hampshire! And… we’re back in session! I taught my first Finance class yesterday. I do love finance (as opposed to accounting). TLW (that’s The Lovely Wife) is an accountant. I play an accountant sometimes on TV (but mostly in the classroom), but I really love finance. Give me some present value, baby! (if you know, you know)
It was wicked cold up here over the weekend and now we are getting a snowstorm as I write this. The roads had not been plowed this morning, so I decided to walk into the office. I do love the woods in the winter. That’s the backside of campus across the bridge in the picture above.
In other news, I’m acting chair for our department this semester - the real chair is on sabbatical. I feel like I was caught playing hooky and someone has made me go back to work. I’m kind of enjoying the responsibility, and kind of counting the days until I hand the responsibility back.
Speaking of playing hooky, this week’s theme is fun and play. It was inspired by hearing a podcast interview with Catherine Price, author of the new book, The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again. I haven’t read the book yet, but I am intrigued by what Price has to say. I’ve included a link to a short Maine Public Radio interview with her in Listen.
I’ve written a fair amount about leading a worthy and meaningful life, but I tend to give fun short shrift, not only in my writing, but in my own life. My leisure tends to be purposeful (serious leisure, as I have written about - leisure that has “the trappings of work”). Listening to this gave me pause. Here’s the Price’s definition of fun:
the definition I came up with is that fun — or "true fun," as I call it — is the combination of three states: playfulness, connection and flow. And when those three states are together, like the center of the Venn diagram, that is the feeling of fun.
I pursue a number of things for flow - kayaking is one - but I tend to paddle solo, so no connection and no playfulness. I actually push myself pretty hard when I’m out paddling most of the time - except when I pause to get the occasional Instagram pic. And Price actually argues that a social media focus is a fun killer. Jiu-jitsu combines connection and flow, but not really playfulness, at least not for me. I often think back on when my kids were little and regret not having been more playful with them. So this week I’m doing a little self-help and thinking about fun and play. Fun is an important part of a flourishing life. I hope you enjoy the links.
As usual, willing good for all of you!
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Read
What: NYT, How to Add More Play to Your Grown-Up Life, Even Now
Why: This article focuses on play as different forms of leisure. I thought this advice was clever:
List the activities you enjoyed as a kid, then brainstorm the grown-up version. If you liked climbing trees, maybe you can try indoor rock climbing. If you loved Play-Doh, maybe you could take a pottery class or make bread from scratch. You don’t always need a new version of a childhood pastime, though. Climbing trees can still be pretty fun as an adult.
The rest of the article is interesting.
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What: Life Goals Magazine, 70 Play Activity Ideas For More Fun As An Adult
https://lifegoalsmag.com/play-activity-ideas-fun-adult/
Why: This is mostly just a fun list of ideas to scroll through. They offer this insight, which matches my discussion of “serious leisure”:
We define play as doing something you enjoy with no real purpose or agenda in mind. There doesn’t have to be a point to your activity, nor do you need to adopt it as a full blown hobby that you try to improve on.
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Watch
What: Stuart Brown, Play is more than just fun (26 min)
Why: An interesting discussion of what play is, and the health and developmental benefits of play. Brown argues, “The opposite of play is not work but depression”, which I found interesting. He goes on to say:
Nothing lights up the brain like play. Three-dimensional play fires up the cerebellum, puts a lot of impulses into the frontal lobe -- the executive portion -- helps contextual memory be developed, and -- and, and, and.
How do we add elements of play to our work lives? Elements like flow…
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Listen
What: Maine Public Radio, The 3 ingredients for fun: an expert's formula for experiencing genuine delight (7 min)
https://www.npr.org/2024/01/18/1225098326/fun-how-to-happiness-play-delight
Why: This is the bit on fun that I mentioned in the intro.
Here’s a longer podcast with Price where she gets much deeper: