Activities from then that are even better now
By Laurel Borrowman, Life & Style Editor
Iâve had a resurgence of youth in the last two years. Not that Iâm oldâunless you think 28 is oldâand not that I was a crusty, prematurely aged downer before, but my social life in the last two years looks more like the typical 23-year-old than the typical 28-year-old. When I was 23, I was âmarried,â coming home after work everyday to eat dinner and share a bottle of wine with my other half. The big bang at the end of the night was a joint, a bowl of popcorn, and falling asleep during whatever movie was on. Weekends werenât much different.
Now, a Friday usually begins at the Biltmore, Astoria, or Cobalt with a handful of local DJs and bands, followed by a trip to the warehouse du jour for more dancing, and ends at our apartment for a bunch of silliness (details below) and a living room dance-off until dawn.
Iâm not saying either is better or worse. It depends on what you want out of life. But one thing Iâm sure of is that there are some things from childhood that I encourage anyone to revisit for an injection of fun into your life. Whether itâs for a gathering of people at your place for a little potluck, or a rambunctious mess of rowdies at 4 a.m., these are a few additions to your life thatâll make you feel young and fun at heart, and relieve a heap of school stress at the same time.
Record player: A good soundtrack is that backbone to any social occasion, and vinyl has made a huge comeback. Just because it was your parentsâ choice of music medium doesnât mean theyâre passĂ©. Turntables arenât difficult to find and while some require repair, itâs usually a matter of finding the right place to get the proper equipment (like a new needle), not spending a heap of money. You can also get a pretty snappy one brand new if you want to spend a few hundred dollars. The interaction between you and your crowd while hosting folks and paying attention to the music player every 15 minutes is awesome. Records are relatively cheap to collect, and the banter about album art as people flip through them is usually hilarious. Hot tip: the plethora of Nana Mouskouri records at Value Village are cheap and funny at first, but the novelty will wear off. Build a record collection of music you want to listen to.
Rubikâs cube: I tend to break out this classic once people have settled in. Just toss it in someoneâs lap and challenge them to see what they can do. Inevitably, someone will pipe up about âthe formulaâ for solving it in a minute and a half (which exists, but you still have to be pretty smart), and another will object, and another will chime in. Theyâll all try, but typically nobody completes it, and the rare person that does becomes a legend. Great conversation piece. Great time waster. Great fun.
Twister: If youâve just had a potluck, give it an hour or two before playing unless you want people barfing all over your place. Otherwise, this game is never not fun. Sometimes I like to play offensive Twister, where you might choose to give an opponent a little hip-check when theyâre stretching for left hand green in a vulnerable stance. Or, try playing with that certain someone youâve got a bit of a thing for. Either way, youâre all going to end up in a dog pile on the floor giggling.
A tickle trunk: This is an ongoing investment with huge payoff. A trunk isnât always the easiest to come by, but thrift stores tend to have older ones that are fairly lightweight and cheap. I got mine from my grandma. The contents of said trunk need only have one criteria: goofy and fun. Stock it by visiting thrift stores often, and if you see something cheap and goofy, buy it. Over two years, weâve stocked our trunk with wigs, onesies, glasses, hats, belts, boots, coats, boas, bags, pants, and more. The fun weâve had playing dress up is off the charts. Photo shoots galore. Good times all around. Full-on hilarity. The tickle trunk will never get old.
Whether youâre 19 or 39, youâre going to keep getting older, but it doesnât mean you have to feel that way. Add a little silliness to your routine. Be light-hearted, because life doesnât have to be dull and serious. Have fun!
