Yes, you can still have fun …

I was talking with a friend recently and, of course, the topic was what it seems to be for everybody these days: all the crap going on in the world.

“You know, with all the stuff going on these days, it’s like we’re forgetting how to have fun,” my buddy observed.

And you know what? He’s right.

There was a time when us ‘non-millennials’ could be outdoors, see a stick lying on the ground, pick it up and change our whole universe in an instant.

That stick became a sword or a wand or a divining rod that would help us find even more stuff to convert to pure, unbridled entertainment.

Like when you were a kid and an old tire or a can or a mud puddle could instantly change your world (and your attitude), prompting you to stir up elaborate scenarios that kept you occupied all day long.

You didn’t have to swipe or text or touch an app – not that you’d have known what any of that was – to conjure the kind of joy that spirited you away from the world for just a little while.

Escapism’s not a bad thing, y’all. It’s a kind of therapy that doesn’t cost anything and more than likely will do you a whole lot of good.

Some so-called experts even say it’s what we should do more often.

People who are supposed to be really smart tell us that, for instance, if grandma and grandpa learned how to play bridge or poker or dominoes or even video games it’s likely they’d increase their cognitive abilities and physical coordination way more than any pill could ever provide.

And, when you think about it, there are so many other avenues.

Remember what fun it was to shoot pool or go bowling? Believe it or not, there are still places to do that, though they may be a little harder to find in this 21st century.

We’ve become such a world of worrywarts that we barely take the time to tune out the turmoil, even for a little while, and that’s not good for anybody.

Now understand, you don’t have to throw reality out the window. We have to accept the fact that it’s not going anywhere and will be right there when you get back from your brief escape.

But if you take even just a few minutes to, say, pick up that stick or deal that card or roll that ball, when you’re thrust back into real life you’ll likely be able to handle it at least a little bit better.

Life, after all, is a gift that we’re given each and every day, and it’s up to us to make the most of it while we can.

And a large part of that is to have at least a little fun before it’s all gone.

So pick up that stick.

What happens next is entirely up to you.

Adventure awaits!