Having fun while others are suffering

Having fun, enjoying life, and experiencing success at the same time that others are suffering and struggling is something I have judged myself and others about for a long time. It was something I didn’t let myself do.

Collective suffering is “a thing” I was trained to take part in. Medical training teaches that struggling and suffering and hard is what “good doctors” do. In my family, humility and hard work were encouraged. Shining, celebrating, and enjoying success and accomplishments was not something I remember being done. Then add in being married to someone who struggles with his mental health,

Having fun, and enjoying life very often feels “complicated” and challenging. Not fun and easy.

Covid has now added a whole other level.

Is it ok to have fun, be light, and enjoy while others are sad, overwhelmed, in quarantine, sick, and/or working in overcrowded clinics and hospitals?

“It’s our call to experience joy even as we work for better.”- Rhonda Magee.

This thought by Professor Rhonda Magee shared last year, in a Mindful Healthcare Collective book club discussion about The Inner Work of Racial Justice · Healing Ourselves and Transforming Our Communities Through Mindfulness- shifted my perspective.

I now intentionally practice allowing joy and experiencing pleasure even as I work for better.

Mindful coaching has helped me embrace being able to find joy and have fun when the opportunity presents itself. The heaviness and judgment I previously carried around having fun and experiencing joy didn’t help me be healthier, happier, or a better wife, doctor, or mom.

More fun, joy, and lightness are what’s needed in this crazy world. Just like play, they lead me to be able to see and be part of the creative solutions we need.

I do my best thinking and innovating in nature, and after a good belly laugh.

I hope in making choices to experience joy and laugh more I am inspiring others to do the same.