What do you do for fun?

In December 2007, I survived a near-fatal accident (see more here). After the accident, I started physical therapy as part of the healing process. At my first session, my physical therapist asked me, "what do you do for fun?" When I had to think about the answer, I knew there was a problem. My initial response was, "I work a lot." This response scared me--how is it that I could not identify what I do for fun? Simple--I had let the monotony of everyday life define me. I worked long hours and spent the rest of my time caring for my family.

This did not happen overnight. As I look back now, this was an almost imperceptible process. When my husband was laid off in 2001, I was a stay-at-home mom to our only child, Kathryn. To make ends meet, I went back to work 'temporarily' (I am still at my 'temporary' job). With my full-time job, the things I loved to do slowly fell away one by one. Fast forward 6 1/2 years to the simple question "what do you do for fun?"

Six months later, my physical wounds have healed, but a void still remains. My mission now is to define a new path for myself by:

• bringing back fun into my life
• nuturing a hobby or two
• reminding myself that my job is 'just work'--it does not define who I am.

So, as America celebrates her independence today, I will celebrate my 'independence' from the monotony of life.

• LL