choose a little fun
it’s supposed to be fun
this thing called living
it’s supposed to be thrills
and excitement and winning,
giving every moment our
full attention, our entire spirit…
there are games to play,
and conversations
to light up your day…
there are people to love
and help and hold…
I don’t want to dwell
on all the pain and the worry—
don’t want to be consumed
by all the fear and the hurry…
there are sights to see
and fields to run in,
so many plants to water
and windows to let the sun in
I don’t want to be stuck
in the basement of existence…
can’t be bogged down by
meaningless tasks, despite
everyone’s doleful insistence
I’d like to smile more than I do,
kind of like how I used to,
before life got so serious—
so life and death—so go-go-go
until you have nothing left…
I gotta remind myself
each morning when I wake up
that to be here is a miracle,
and that no future moments
are at all guaranteed…
whoever is around is a blessing,
even if some days your fucking
tank feels practically empty…
I don’t want to scrutinize
every single event, questioning
whether it’s a curse
or a fortune—I’d like to loosen
my face out of these
stress-stricken contortions,
let out a sigh of relief
and an expression of joy,
and smile at the belief
that having fun can be a choice
Garbage Notes:
I just posted this one on Medium. Normally I wait a while between the original publication of a poem and doing a Garbage Notes analysis of it. But I felt compelled to share this here concurrently.
This is a message to not stress as much, and have a little fun while you can. It’s easy to get so caught up in the worries of life, that you forget that everything around you is kind of a miracle. And the likelihood of you even existing in this moment is kind of mind-boggling.
I need to tell myself this often. Step back from the day-to-day nonsense and enjoy stuff more. Enjoy people, enjoy writing, enjoy whatever it is you do on a daily basis.
Like, seriously, we put too much pressure on ourselves. Too much pressure on other people. We need to learn to kind of let things breathe a little. And not have everything be so high stakes all the time.
I know it might sound trivial, but I’m going to make this a bit present-day relevant. The New York Knicks are in the NBA finals. And seeing your favorite team, that you’ve cheered for your entire life, since you were a kid, finally start winning—making it all the way and potentially winning a championship. It’s a crazy feeling. On one hand I feel like a kid again, but on the other it’s weird trying to really enjoy this as an adult. And ironically all I’ve felt these last few weeks is this sort of edge of my seat OMG-ARE-THEY-GOING-TO-ACTUALLY-DO-IT sort of stress.
Obviously, we shouldn’t forget that it’s a game, and I’m here spectating—I’m a fan—and it’s all supposed to be good fun. It’s just harder to savor certain things when adult life always has you on guard.
Anyway, this is a reminder—to everyone, sure—but mostly to myself. Just take it all in, and enjoy it. Whatever you’re doing. Win or lose. This shit is supposed to be fun. So sit back and revel in it.
Franco Amati 2026
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Wise words mate. We get so hung up on the winning and losing, that we forget to enjoy the ride! Thoroughly enjoyed this--MUST read.
I love this. It's something I'm currently doing, maintaining the trail system I built last summer on the family place. Many would see this as hard work (it is), but it also makes me feel like a kid again, playing in the woods all day without another care in the world.