Recent rummaging around in my pile of stuff left from the old days turned up an envelope of photos. One summer in the early '70s I did a Forty Day Training with the Arica Institute. It was one of the funnest times of my life. The photos were taken by Brenda and after the training she sent me copies. A couple of the photos of me really caught my attention and I reconnected with who I was back then.

At that point in my life I had no idea of publishing a magazine. I knew I wanted to do something in the new age movement but did not really know what. I was thinking of perhaps a bookstore but that really wasn't it. I can tell you that the me I was back then is pleased and even proud of what he went on to do. And this is something I have a tendency to lose sight of.

In this photo, I'm standing in the doorway of my dorm room, hair to my waist, in the best physical shape of my life and ready for anything life might have in store for me. I may not have known what my path of service was to be but I did know how to relax and have fun. The me I am today tends to be a much more serious fellow. I am rarely satisfied with what I've accomplished. I'm often thinking that I need to get more done and that there is no time to relax and enjoy life. This is an error I intend to set about correcting.

My mistake is a common one. The world has a way of getting in our faces and weighing us down, taking us away from the part of ourselves that knows how to enjoy. As we move into later stages of life, we have more responsibilities than in our early 20s. We acquire careers, spouses, children and mortgages. We deal with aging parents, health issues and the realization of our own dwindling time. I'm not one for New Year's resolutions. But I am committing to easing up on myself, remembering who I've been and where I've come from -- and enjoying life more.

Very few of us are having too much fun. Few of us are having enough fun. Most of us are suffering from fun deficiency. I don't believe there are any of us who can't find ways to have more fun in our lives. If you've come to a similar place in your life then you may also want to reach back and reconnect with a time when you too knew how to play.

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