What do you do for fun?

[HVAC]

When I was kid I loved riding horses. When I got MS I put an ad out that I wanted to ride. A nice lady answered my ad and I ride. I like to camp. I have gone camping at Big Meadows in the Shennadoah valley, on Ocracoke in the outer banks of NC, to Linville Falls in NC Mountains. I went on a hot air balloon ride. I trained one service dog now I am working on my second. I have friends with a mountain house and one at the beach so we have gone to both. I went sailing with my brother on his boat. I swim all the time over an hour a day. I go to concerts. We have free ones in the summer. I go out with my friends every week. I have a writing coach who is into writing to heal. I have books for the blind and listen to those.

Alex

[essdipity]

It seem too many of us are lacking in the fun department! I for one am planning to do something about this ASAP.

I do like to cook and entertain. I have a gazillion books including a great many cookbooks, and reading has been a lifelong pleasure for me. I have also traveled far and wide, always wanting to do more. What I need to do is adjust my expectations to reality, whether it's entertaining, traveling or whatever. This has not been an easy lesson to learn for me.

Health and other issues have caused me to put various plans on the back burner for a good while, but by summer's end I hope to move them up. I do want to learn photography, especially interesting black and white shots, just for my own amusement. I also plan to take an intro to Italian course via my county's excellent continuing Ed program if i can manage it.I did take French for quite a while, following up on my many years of French at school and college, but the site and fabulous teacher are just too far away and through too much traffic for that to be realistic now, but Italian is fairly close to home, so why not?

I also have quite a few offerings from the Great Courses series (see web) and they're outstanding. Very expensive to buy but frequent sales make them much more affordable, and many libraries carry them. These are something we can do even if we're pretty immobilized, and are great for keeping the mind sharp.

I still have other things from my 'old life,' social life, book group, etc, but haven't been up to much in recent months. At times it's even hard to take care of my pooch or do my hospice volunteering, but I'm hanging in here and will make every effort to get back to an even keel. Mostly have to learn to take small bites and pace myself. I can be a slow learner in these matters.

Meanwhile, in addition to what others have posted, I'd very much like more suggestions for fun stuff requiring minimal physical effort.

ess

[karryon55]

I've been thinking about this question since you posted it over a week ago Alex and I really couldn't add anything fun in my life so I felt embarrassed to even answer. I currently can't get in & out of my house due to steps and trying to find the money for a ramp. I could no doubt get down the steps but it's trying to get back inside that's the issue for me and I don't have any friends or family to ask for help so I don't attempt it anymore. This may sound like I'm sad but I'm not sad at all really and I still enjoy what life I have & look forward to eventually getting ramps.

I do love my little dog who brings so much laughter and love into my life. I enjoy doing puzzles & games on my tablet, I love reading and am planning on trying to ride a horse again soon via a charity that modify saddles and assist you to ride again. I am a social person so being alone so much in life is not what I wish for but I do have carers assist me some days so I can have a chin wag when they visit. I used to go on short overseas trips with my mum using my manual wheelchair but she has dementia now so I can no longer do that.

To Artanis...take your walker and have a good holiday. It doesn't matter what aids or equipment you require in life because the world is still out there to be seen. Most airlines will take a wheelchair or walker for free as well. I used to have pride too but when that gets in the way of an enjoyable life you soon see that this can be what's holding you back. I hope you have a wonderful trip. :)

Karry.

[HVAC]

I am in a different boat. I just have fatigue and pain. I luckily have time before I am incapacitated. When my cancer starts spreading faster I will go down hill rather fast. I guess it will be a blessing to have a short time of illness unlike others here.

Alex

[Artanis12]

Yeah, that would be me, not a lot of fun going on - saving up most of my energy during the week for work and getting to and from, and then working most of the weekend to simply try to keep my head above water with the housework. My husband is still in denial about what this is going to mean for him, but the day of reckoning is coming soon.  He's going to learn how to do housework, or we are going to be at each others' throats pretty often. I refuse to live in squalor because he's too exalted to clean. I love him dearly, but if his mother was still alive we'd be having some frank discussion of her failure to raise him to be tidy.  

That said, we have a trip to Ireland planned for the fall, but even that will be somewhat fraught, because I'm going to have to break down and take a walker, or this trip will NOT play out well.  My pride cannot get in the way of actually being able to DO what I want to do.  The day will likely come when I won't want to attempt a big trip, but for now, I need to strike while the iron still has enough heat, you know?

Karen

[Jacksmom516]

Funny this post hit home.  My life consists of working 7 days  week and taking care of my home.  it takes me so long to do anything that my free time is spent doing this.  My animals bring a smile to my face.  
there really isn't time for fun and my mobility issues prohibit me from doing much.  Former friends no longer have the time or patience for my mobility issues so I am alone a lot.  The one highlight of my month is going for tysabri infusions.  It is the one time a month that someone takes care of me rather than me taking care of me.  SAD but true.

[immisceo]

It's funny to think back on how much has changed in the last few years for me. Before I really committed to prioritising my mental health, I wouldn't have had anything to answer to 'what do you do for fun'?

Now, I'm an avid knitter/crocheter - handy hobbies to have when I don't have the energy to get out of bed! And dare I say I'm pretty good at it! When I'm a flake with scheduling (we all know that last-minute cancelations are part-and-parcel of having MS) or finances are tight, I always know I can whip up a gift that, at least in my generation, darn near astounds my friends. You made that?! Good for the confidence.

Thanks to my kindle, I can get back into reading. Making words larger with the touch of a finger tip, having 100s of tomes fit into one hand, a case that incorporates a strap to go around my hand to avoid drops... It's been a revelation for me. Reading had been such a pleasure, and I'd lost it through poor grip strength, poor eyesight, low concentration... Okay I still have that last one, but it truly does feel like a passion that had been on life support has made a miraculous recovery - and don't underestimate the knock-on positive effects in all areas of my life when that happens!

My family of two is apartment-dwelling, but we have a fantastic balcony that gets more sunlight than you'd ever imagine for this little island. These past five years, I've become a rather dab hand at cultivating some fine evergreen shrubs, punctuated by seasonal flowers in ever-changing hues. Coffee on that balcony does more for my headspace than you could imagine, and caring for the plants and watching them thrive and mature does the same. Balcony gardening is the sweet spot for my MS, I think. No mowing, no direct sun on my head, near the water (and the bathrooms!). I haven't a maternal molecule in my body, but I'll nurse an ill pansy back to health with the verve of a horticultural Florence Nightingale. Aphids? You just try your funny business on my balcony! (cue Ennio Morricone music)

When I'm feeling a bit more energised, I walk to the park along the river near our apartment. I may take my kindle, I may only take my iPhone (holla, audiobooks!), or I may take my good old-fashioned nature guides. Having been raised with a love of nature, but in another country, I'm still mesmerised by learning the names of unfamiliar plants, birds, and animals great and small. And sometimes I just take a blanket and my water and lie in the grass doing mindfulness exercises. I defy a high-priced spa to do more for my well-being.