Casual Conversation

For better or worse, most of my major hobbies are still similar. Reading, gaming, taking walks in nature. That said, I find that some key aspects to getting the kind of carefree fun I had as a kid are three things: going in "blind", intentionally setting aside time for fun/hobbies, and leaving room for spontaneity during that time.

• Going in "blind": Nowadays with how widespread the internet is, and the general attitude of over-analysis and data mining everything, it makes it very very easy to know damn near everything about something before you ever experience it for yourself. I find that when I cut off my exposure to details about a game (for example) once I hit the point that I know I'll enjoy it, I can leave room for surprise and the unexpected. As a kid, I'd choose movies or games off maybe 30 seconds of an ad, the box, and on rare occasions a one page review from a magazine. Things could still have the magic of the unexpected, and I find it immensely rewarding intentionally making room for that again.

• Intentionally setting aside time: It can be hard to find chunks of time that aren't "stealing" from other things you should be doing, like sleeping. But by making a point to set aside some, I can do a better job at getting my brain to shut up about all the responsible adult things I should/could be doing (but probably wouldn't have used the time to do anyway). Kids don't have nearly the same drains on their time, or responsibilities, as adults do. A big part of the "childlike fun" or things people tend to be nostalgic about, is the lack of responsibilities. There's no big blanket of background stress from everything else you have to take care of looming about. So I try to set aside time where I can intentionally go "stop, all that stuff can wait until later." Definitely easier said than done though.

• Spontaneity: Kid's don't go "oh no, I can't play at the playground even though I want to." For the most part, during play time they play how they want. So if I'm not having fun, I don't try to force myself. I just move onto something else. Sometimes that means pre-planning. Getting a yearly membership to the arborateum or museum instead of just a day pass, so when I'm done I can just go and not worry about "getting my money's worth", and if the mood takes me I can go out there without having to plan a day around it.

Now before people start picking apart the generalizations I've made, I have first hand experience that many kids don't get to be spontaneous, can't do what they want, and can also often have blanket stress over things they "should be" doing. I've lived all that as a kid, and as an adult.

But my best memories growing up, as a kid, as a teen, as a young adult... they all have these elements in common of surprise/joy of discovery, not being weighed down by other responsibilities (or at least not feeling the weight), and having the freedom to do as I wanted.