Were did the fun go ?

[JerryD]

I watch this board every day, hoping that I will discover a piece of advice that I can use to help me find 'fun' again. I swear that I haven't had any real 'fun' since I was diagnosed in early 2009. Now, i am sure that many will advise me that 'fun' is what and where I choose to find it. And I am sure that works for some MSers.
But I am sorry to say that doesn't work for me. I am sure that, in my mind, I am handling my MS as well as I can. But, everyone around me knows that my personality has been greatly, negatively, affected by my ' uninvited guest'. I have many more thoughts about this situation but I am too fatigued to sit here and write any more, today.
I hope that all of you who read this are having some 'fun' today.

[Karenkay]

Fun. What is fun for me? I'm mostly house bound, fun is getting out and go shopping with dd. But that creates other problems, last time we went shopping I was walking out of the bathroom and my cane slipped on water. I went straight down. Didn't break anything but ... OUCH!!

Fun. What is fun? I have plants, I have fun taking care of those and watching them grow. I have a senior orange tabby that sleeps on my lap. He brings a lot of joy.

Fun. I think I needed you to start this thread for me. There is fun and joy in my life, I just need to think about it. I've had a depression cloud over me for so long.

What is fun?

[DonQuixote]

I took all the fun away while fighting a giant. My squire insisted that it was a windmill, but I assure you I took down the most ferocious of giants in all the world.

Hopefully the above will make you smile, and if you don't get it then you may get a good laugh reading Don Quixote for the first time. It's quite funny.

[swpanther1]

This is a good post. Makes one think...although when I worked, people would ask me if I was in pain or inquire if something was wrong, and I would just tell them "I'm just thinking, it just looks painful"....sorry, my attempt at humor. Some of my 'fun' vignettes (whatever they are called) are from the past, but they make me smile to remember. Can't remember what the heck I was watching on t.v. five minutes ago, but can sure remember fun from ten years ago!

Fun....makes me remember the Van Halen song "Where Have All The Good Times Gone"; I believe it was the Diver Down album, and I have some awesome memories from that time....

Fun....when my cats stop short when we are walking down the hallway, and I successfully do ballet/yoga/Tai Chi moves I didn't know I had in me to avoid falling on top of them (I know they do it on purpose)

Fun....doing my last employee performance evaluation last June, and getting to write what I actually thought since I was retiring at the end of July. Let me tell you, being able to write what you really want because you don't give anymore.....THAT was so freeing, and fun!

Fun....learning how to type using two fingers like my dad used to on our portable typewriter (because my pinky fingers on both hands do independent little jigs on the keyboard). Yes, I know there are touch screens, etc, etc, but I am soooo technically challenged and do not want to move from Windows 7. I still have a flip phone for pity sake....actually, I still have a rotary phone in the attic; saving that to show the grandkids.

Fun....I have become nocturnal since no longer working. I love staying up late. I was always a night person, I even stay up later than my cats.....it's funny to see them all passed out at 2:00 a.m. and getting to wake them up from a sound sleep to pay attention to me. Paybacks, kitties, paybacks....it's really fun when I get the vacuum out late night. Takes the sting out of scooping their litter boxes (somewhat).

Fun....I am so thankful I logged onto this site today, and saw this post. I use humor when I am down, and have been really, really down lately and feeling sad for myself. There are so many things to be thankful for, and I need to list them again....Thank you so much, JerryD....you brought humor and fun memories to the forefront of this gal's brain. And thank you, msworld, for allowing me to post my humor.

--Sara

[BadAttitude]

I watch this board every day, hoping that I will discover a piece of advice that I can use to help me find 'fun' again. I swear that I haven't had any real 'fun' since I was diagnosed in early 2009. Now, i am sure that many will advise me that 'fun' is what and where I choose to find it. And I am sure that works for some MSers.

This MSer likes to visit other forums and randomly amuse herself with snarky posts at others she deems unintelligent. It's great fun. Until you get banned. Don't go over the line too much, and you'll get to harass people indefinitely. (Of course this advice is tongue in cheek. Mods, don't ban me)

But I am sorry to say that doesn't work for me. I am sure that, in my mind, I am handling my MS as well as I can. But, everyone around me knows that my personality has been greatly, negatively, affected by my ' uninvited guest'.

Sounds like depression. Depression can close opportunities for fun by sheer dint of lack of energy and impaired imagination. Before you were so unfairly impacted by this, what did you do for fun then? If you're seriously fatigued all the time...I am reminded of the boost I got every time in high school every time I found an actual handwritten letter in my mailbox from my pen pal in the Netherlands. You can take as long as you want to write something in longhand and then post in the mail, and the anticipation of a reply is fun to look forward to...there is something deeply gratifying in receiving a handwritten note from someone especially in this digital age. Check out pen pals websites and see if you establishing a pen pal relationship with someone in a country you have always been curious about sounds interesting to you.

I have many more thoughts about this situation but I am too fatigued to sit here and write any more, today.
I hope that all of you who read this are having some 'fun' today.

See above in red... I typed it that way to help you keep track of my ADHD thoughts and the website thinks I didn't type anything at all. Silly website!Your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of elderberries! (see what I mean about snarky posts? Great fun if you have nothing but time on your hands, lol...take that, MSWorld)

[hunterd]

I never realized what "fun" was until my diagnosis. After that, when ever I got the opportunity to do something that I enjoyed, I jumped at it! My cousin, who has been my biggest supporter, keeps telling me that we will do what ever it takes. We have come to terms with the fact that without him, and his adage of "adapt and overcome." I would just spend my time indoors, not enjoying anything.

[JerryD]

Sara, you are welcome to my attempt at humor. My wife doesn't feel that I have any humor left in me. I try to bring a little humor to these serious conversations. We all need something to laugh about. Don't you think ? My next show is at 1! Try the veal !

[grammy2many]

FUN

I had to reinvent myself after my diagnosis and retiring on disability. I have been working or in school since I was 15 years old. All of my social contacts were people who were working. I was lonely and sad, but I didn't know what to do with it.

I decided to step out of my comfort box and show up to a bible study, where I introduced myself to everyone I could. When I found a few people that I felt I could enjoy, I took the risk and asked them out to lunch after the Study. We were all in our 50s-60s who were longing for the same things. It was incredible how well we clicked on that first lunch. We declared ourselves Amigas right then and there and we've met up at least once a week for over two years to shop or talk or whatever.... Gives me something to look forward to, to feel useful (to be a listening ear when other friends lives were off-kilter and to give me someone to vent to other than my sweet husband.

For others it might be a book club, gun club, painting club.....whatever. Just get out there and out of the dumps. You don't do yourself or anyone else any good there.

Don't get me wrong - I understand how hard living with chronic illness is, but IMO chronic depression is even worse.
Sue

[Thinkimjob]

Hard to be funny when there isn't any fun etc, JerryD.

If you can still walk, I endorse grammy2many's advice. Get it while you can.

If you can't, then I recommend Dave Barry's Miami Herald blog.
And if you have an English sense of humour, try 'Pete and Dud'. "I have been racing model planes, Dudley. Elastic powered" or Private Eye magazine, Blackadder, Peep Show, Only Fools and Horses, etc.

I do enjoy The Walking Dead and Z Nation. (Zombies, mmm, I recognise that shambling walk.) Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Orange is the New Black.

I do leave the house, but it ain't pretty. I still work two days a week.

I enjoy going to court for the court report, even though lurching the ten yards from car park to courtroom door is a, shall we say, challenge. The people waiting to appear on their minor drug charges or assaults are remarkably sympathetic.

The Magistrate has a sense of humour, and the police prosecutor is very sympathetic (his wife has MS).