My fun intentions for 2023

I think we can all agree that 2022 was a rollercoaster ride. We’ve all had our huge ups and equally large downs. We’ve all been living through unprecedented times and experiencing once in a lifetime events. This year has been full of lessons, moments we’ll never forget, and truthfully, some moments we never want to remember ever again.

With all the craziness the past few years has brought I’ve realized something. I need to be more focused on fun. When living with a chronic illness so much of your time and energy is focused on survival and coping with your illness that you forget to have fun and that can be a pretty exhausting and depressing time. That’s why in 2023 I want to focus more on fun. I want to purposefully and consciously make space and time in my life for fun. I know it seems counterintuitive but sometimes scheduling in fun is the only way you can ensure it actually happens (I know I know, I’m giving off major Amy Santiago vibes right now but sometimes she’s got a point; ok most of the time she’s got a point).

This year I have three main “fun”-tentions I want to focus on and bring more into my life. Now don’t get me wrong, these aren’t life altering or crazy time consuming intentions. The point is that they’re simply small, simple things I can do and make time for. I want to focus on these intentions because it’s important to remind myself that I deserve fun. Just because you’ve been so focused on surviving doesn’t mean you aren’t allowed to want to have fun. We all deserve to have fun; it’s a huge part of what makes life worth living and it isn’t selfish to want more of it.

1. Work on my makeup skills

Alright so here’s the thing, I suck at putting on makeup. I can do the basics and at least now I know the correct foundation colour so I don’t look like I’m wearing a mask (flashback to Jenna Marbles middle school makeup tutorials 😂). But after I throw on my foundation, lipstick, and mascara I call it a day. If you know me you know that lipstick or lipgloss is my one makeup staple. I never leave the house without a lip colour (and always have at least one on me at all times). But this year I really want to develop my makeup skills in other areas. Whenever I see those tutorials of people doing those amazing and intricate eye makeup looks I get jealous because my eye makeup game is severely lacking. Now yes it is true that I’m legally blind without my glasses which makes it difficult to actually see what I’m doing but I got one of those 5x magnifying mirrors so your girl is going to get to work. Now I don’t expect to become a makeup guru overnight but I do hope that with practice I can improve and by the end of 2023 I’ll have way more good makeup days than not.

2. Dance more

Now this might not seem surprising if you know me because I used to dance more than I walked. Whenever a good song would come on I just couldn’t help it, I’d start to dance. But in the past few years I’ve noticed that the music will come on, but I won’t start dancing and to be honest, that makes me so incredibly sad. For me, dancing used to bring me such joy. Movement is so powerful and helpful at allowing us to move our emotions through us and for me that was through dance. That’s why this year I’m getting back to it. Even if it’s a little ten second dance break, it’s better than nothing. When a movement helps you and you can feel it, don’t ignore it. Now I can understand if you think it must be embarrassing to just start dancing in the supermarket when a good song comes on but to be completely honest, that never bothered me. Life is too damn short to care about other people’s opinions especially if it’s in regards to something so innocent that brings you joy. And not to mention that when other people see you dancing, more often than not they’ll get a smile on their faces and the really fun ones join in. Joy attracts joy and from that it just continues to grow.

3. Go on more adventures

Living with a chronic illness has taken a lot from me. It’s taken my ability to just pack up and go on adventures, even if it’s something as simple as a spontaneous car ride or day trip; and I miss it a lot. That’s why this year I want to try and get back to more adventures, no matter how small. Over the past year I have gotten better at the spontaneous adventure but there’s definitely room for more. Now I don’t want to go overdoing it because as anyone with a chronic illness can tell you, recovery from overdoing it is exhausting and often painful. These adventures don’t have to be big, heck they don’t even need to cost any money, the main thing is that I want to get out more and experience more. I’ve been so severely ill for so long that I have been focused more on surviving than thriving and that needs to change. So this year i will be on the lookout for more opportunities for adventure and get to doing them.

Regardless of what my specific intentions are for this year, they all centred around one thing, bringing more joy into my life. Joy is so important for all of us; joy keeps us going and helps to fulfill our lives so why not do whatever we can to bring more of it into our lives. I heard a saying years ago and it’s very relevant for this; “take inspired action”. These intentions don’t require that I take giant steps or spend large amounts of money, they just require I actually take action and make time and space for those intentions.

Whatever your 2023 has in store for you I hope it holds an abundance of health, happiness, fun, and of course joy. Here’s to a year of growth and learning but also a year where we make time for fun. Yes it’s important to learn and grow and better ourselves, but it’s equally important to make time for fun. So whether you mark it in your calendar or set alarms on your phone, don’t forget to make time for fun in 2023. Happy New Year everyone!!