Tuesday, 27 December 2022

fun

One of my favourite pastimes is searching for toys from my youth, seeking to revisit the nostalgic memories of my childhood. While sentimentality plays a significant role in my collection, it isn't the only reason. Sometimes, I purchase these toys purely for the joy they bring. Acquiring a unique and cherished item brings a sense of delight, wonder, and childlike excitement.


My friends were intensely dedicated to collecting these plush toys and one of them went to great lengths, visiting multiple McDonald’s branches to hunt for a missing Snoopy. The amount of Happy Meals they consumed in their quest to acquire the whole set was nothing short of astounding. I didn’t partake in the frenzied pursuit of these toys, confident that I would eventually find the complete series on eBay. As it turned out, my intuition was correct and I was able to obtain the entire collection without going through the hassle and stress of searching for each individual piece... 21 years later.

Fun is a desperately underrated benchmark by which we assess our quality of life. We often apply seemingly more 'adult' measurements to our investments in education, career paths, financial stability, or relationships. These are important, meaningful criteria shaping major life decisions, forming a checklist we hope will make us better and happier individuals. While necessary, these aspects can be painfully boring without their radical counterpart: fun.

Why do we not seek fun, or worse, forget about it entirely? Frivolous, innocent, clean fun - the kind that makes you feel like a kid again.

Monday, 26 December 2022

dollhouse

I spent my childhood daydreaming about having nice things and a Dollhouse was on top of my wish list. My parents did not buy me one, but my dad worked for a factory that manufactured hospital furniture and he brought home the “faulty” tables for my sister and I to play with.

I improvised by placing a blanket over the table and pretended that it was a dollhouse caravan. It was a challenge to push it on our carpet floor, so my arms got a great workout. Good times.

Maybe I shouldn’t deprive my children of the opportunity to be creative and innovative, and just give them a broken hospital table to play with.