I like custard. What do you like? Make some time to remember what makes you smile

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about the things I enjoy. The things at make me happy and the things that make me smile. I’ve written before about how easy it is to forget to enjoy ourselves, how easy it is, if we’re limited in terms of time or energy, to get caught in a cycle of resting and doing and to forget to make time for fun and play and The Things that Make us Smile.

Not waiting for the funfair

Last week I wrote a post about how we should have the type of fun we are able to have right now, rather than wait for the funfair to arrive before we let ourselves enjoy ourselves. If energy is limited the fun we are able to have maybe limited too, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have any.

I was talking to some friends this week about the whole idea of “having fun” and we agreed that what might seem to be fun for one person may well not be for another. We also wondered whether, when trying to add more fun to our days we should probably have as wider definition as possible. We could perhaps think in terms of playfulness, or leisure-time, or amusement, or even silliness.

The smile test

Rather than waiting for the funfair to arrive, I’ve decided to employ what I think of as the smile test to help me add more fun to my days. If something I’m doing makes me smile then I think it qualifies as fun. I’m not going to worry about whether someone else would consider it something fun or not, this is my smile test, this is my fun.

A mini quest

So now I’m on a mini quest to find more things that make me smile. I’ve been keeping a notebook with me and if I think of something that brings a smile to my lips, perhaps something I haven’t thought of doing for a long time, then I write it down.

“Making custard” found it’s way on to my list this week. I haven’t done that in ages. I don’t mean the grown-up custard that’s made from egg yokes and cream and sugar (thought that can be lovely too!), I mean the custard made from powder that comes in a wonderfully bright and happy pot.

So, this week I bought myself a tub of custard powder and made a saucepan full of thick, creamy, bubbling custard. I had it with a home made apple pie. I smiled all the time I was cooking and eating it. Then I smiled some more when I draw the custard tub.

What would pass your smile test? Can you set aside some time and energy for it this week?

If you enjoyed this post sign up to receive notifications of new posts via email.

Did you enjoy this post? If so, please take a moment to tell your friends about it on Twitter by clicking on the link below. Thank you!