Margaret Felice

  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
  • Media
  • Calendar
    • Upcoming Performances
    • Upcoming Speaking Events
  • Speaking
  • Publications
  • Performance
    • Biography
    • Repertoire
  • Contact
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • YouTube

If it’s not fun, do it anyway

August 1, 2009 · Filed Under: Uncategorized ·

Yesterday afternoon involved a long car ride in the rain to pay respects in front of a very small casket. It was the sort of afternoon that totally drains a person, but it made me so glad that there are small things we can do to lift up the other people in our lives and that I surround myself with people who are willing to do those small things.

On the way home I saw a car with that old Ben and Jerry’s bumper sticker that reads “If it’s not fun, why do it?”, and I thought seriously about leaping out of our car and banging on the other driver’s rear bumper. As you know, I love fun, and I have often thought that I might be able to get behind a slogan that read along the lines of “If you have to do it, why not make it fun?” But sometimes things are not fun, they are just awful, and we do them anyway because that is what human beings do.

It’s just a bumper sticker, don’t get so worked up about it. I think anyone who has been paying attention to the world knows that it’s not just a bumper sticker. It’s a way of thinking that allows us to ignore people around us who are in need if their need seems inconvenient. It lets people get away with not going to funerals because “it just reminds me of the last time I was in church, for ‘so-and-so’s’ funeral”. It keeps grieving people waiting to hear from the people who are close to them, who because of embarrassment and dis-ease decide that it’s not worth reaching out to try to comfort someone.

Some of the things we do are just not fun. On my worst days I think of them as the price we pay for living. When I’m particularly thoughtful or philosophical, though, I think that they are the only thing that can sustain us. When someone needs you, you go to them, whether or not it is convenient or comfortable or fun. Much of our lives are simple duty, and that duty is the manifestation of the love that in the end can be our only hope.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email
  • More
  • Print
  • LinkedIn
  • Pocket
  • Tumblr
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit

Related

5 Comments

Comments

  1. chocolate cake says

    August 1, 2009 at 9:35 am

    beautifully said.
    -kwokj

    Reply
  2. Lindsay says

    August 1, 2009 at 11:27 am

    “. . .I think of them as the price we pay for living.” That really stood out to me and made me think. Thanks.

    Reply
  3. Patrick Fanning says

    August 1, 2009 at 1:11 pm

    Love this post.

    Reply
  4. catdraco says

    August 1, 2009 at 7:37 pm

    Just beautiful. Thank you.

    Reply
  5. Brooke says

    August 4, 2009 at 2:44 pm

    Fantastic post.

    While not wholly on point, I wonder if you’ve seen this article. http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2009/08/02/the_truth_about_grit/?page=full

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

More about Margaret

Subscribe to Blog

Sign up to get my posts delivered to your inbox.
How often would you like to receive updates?

Recent Posts

  • A place for grief to go
  • Post-op
  • Eating a tomato sandwich in October
  • Stubbornness and grace
  • Of Streets at Night

Topics I’ve Written About:

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets
  • Home
  • About
  • Biography
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Media
  • Performance
  • Publications
  • Repertoire
  • Speaking

Search

© 2022 Margaret Felice · Headshots by Earl Christie · Website by Little Leaf Design