(lively music)

- A few years ago, Annie F.Downs recorded an interview

with an author she loved.

Afterwards, a friendasked her if she'd ever

thought about doing a podcast?

The first words out of Annie's mouth were,

"That sounds fun."

And 40 million downloads later,

That Sounds Fun is still going strong.

- [Narrator] Annie F. Downsis a best-selling author,

speaker ,and host of alively podcast about fun

becoming a priority in life.

- [Annie] We undervalue anddownplay the power of fun,

the place fun ought to have in our lives.

We don't prioritize the fun things.

- [Narrator] Annie'sout to change all that

with her latest book, "That Sounds Fun."

She's quite serious when she says fun

is the medicine we allneed now more than ever.

- Annie F. Downs joins us now via Skype.

Annie, welcome to the 700 Club.

- Hi Wendy, thank youso much for having me.

- It's great to have you.

We need some fun, sowe're glad you're here.

So you know, we just went through 2020.

Some say one of the worstyears in recent history.

Should we even be having fun right now?

- Yeah, you know Wendy,what I think is true

and what's true in my life

and a lot of my friends'lives is we do prioritize

the things that make us the most healthy.

And so we're makingtime to eat during 2020.

We're making time to exercise.

We're making time to seepeople that were in our safe

quarantine kind of bubble.

And to me, when you'relining up the things

in your emotional,spiritual and physical life

that make you healthy,

I think having fun needsto be in that as well.

- You know, you'veasked hundreds of people

about what sounds fun to them.

Is there a common denominator

of what people are sayingthat they think is fun?

- Oh my gosh, you'regoing to love this Wendy.

So at the end of everyepisode of the podcast

I always ask my guests,

but then also in thebook, "That Sounds Fun."

There's over 3000 answers

of what people said sounded fun to them.

And this is wild, but italmost always goes back

to if you keep askingwhy people end up saying,

well, when I was a kid, when I was a kid.

And it's because we're lookingfor that simpler memories,

that simpler life.

We want to go back towhen things felt easier

than they do now.

And while we can't go back

and get those exact experiences,

we can sure bring some ofthose moments into our today.

- Yeah, and you try to getto the deeper roots of fun.

What do you mean by that?

- Well, that's kind of my thing Wendy,

is I want people tothink we're just talking

about fun and really whatwe're ending up talking

about is where's your hope,and where is your joy,

and what have you lostthat you need to grieve?

'Cause if we don't feel sadness

it's really hard to feelthe fullness of joy.

And so really myinvitation when I'm talking

about fun is can you go into your life

and grieve what you've lostand remember what you loved

and bring the best partsof it into your today.

- Yeah, so I know that you love travel

and that used to be abig part of your job.

And that was fun for you.

Of course, last year, noneof us were flying anywhere.

I miss traveling, too.

What are you doing for fun now, Annie?

- Oh, that's a great question.

Because you know, a lot oftimes, especially before 2020

our fun was big and loud,and maybe expensive,

and maybe lasted for a few days.

But what I've grown to love is simple fun

in my everyday life.

So playing with my friends' kids,

playing soccer with my friends' kids.

I love cross stitching, again.

My grandmother taught me to cross stitch

like 30 years ago, Wendy, andI've just picked it up again.

And what's beautifulabout it is it reminds me

of my grandmother.

It reminds me of being with my family,

and I don't live in the samecity as my family anymore.

And I'm making something, I'mactually creating something

that didn't exist.

And there's somethingreally gospel about that.

There's something abouttaking some of these

materials and turning them into something

that's really fun.

- I don't cross stitch,but my grandmother,

she painted with acrylic paints

and when I was a littlegirl she let me paint

alongside her.

And as an adult, sometimesI will find myself

wanting to do that, you know just for fun.

So is it important for usto get a hobby right now?

- Yes. I mean, that's abeautiful story, Wendy.

That's a lot of us, if we'resitting around the table,

a lot of our friends listeningand watching would have

a similar story.

And it is why we need topick up hobbies again,

because hobbies are these activities,

these moments that separateyou from your work life,

(laughing) that kind of takeyou away from your phone.

'Cause I hate to tell you Wendy,

but scrolling is not a hobby, right?

Scrolling on Instagram.

- Uh-oh, I'm in trouble.

- I know, it's hard for me to hear too,

but that's not a hobby.

But what can we be doingthat brings community,

that brings connection withGod and with other people,

and even with ourselves?

There will be some Saturdays where

I will listen to podcastsor listen to an audio book

and work on a puzzle.

And 40 minutes in I'mrealizing that I'm praying

about something and I'masking God about something

because when we make space,when we let our lives get quiet

and get into a hobby, a lot of times

that's where I meet with Jesus.

- In your book youencourage falling in love,

which sounds great.

But you don't mean that juston a romantic level, right?

- No, but very welcome to do that too.

Yeah, of course.

I think it is great to let ourselves love.

A lot of times, I don't knowwhere this started, Wendy,

but at some point I felt thispressure to not love things

as much as I want to them.

I felt this pressure to like hold back

on how big my feelings were.

And as I've gotten healthieremotionally and spiritually

and kind of come into more being Annie

I just felt like, man whatif we all just let ourselves

love what we love?

I love the French horn, Ilove soccer, I love Nashville.

We can just let ourselveslove it and tell shame

it doesn't have a voice and telling us

whether that's cool or not.

- Amen.

What's the one big messageyou want people to take away

from your book, "That Sounds Fun?"

- Yeah, I think if I had one big message

my big hope is that people will return

to what used to be fun to them.

That they would make spacefor fun and their lives.

And what you will actuallyfind when you make space

for fun is you will findconnection, and peace,

and joy, and love and all those are there

and ready for you whenyou're pursuing fun.

And I think the connectionwith God and other people

really changes you.

- Yeah, and I think Godwants us to have fun.

- Yes. I mean, look atJesus's life, Wendy.

He went to parties all the time.

Everyone invited him to their weddings

and kids loved being around him.

Jesus was really fun.

I am very convinced that there were,

I mean we're all made in the image of God.

And if there are people that are fun

that must be true of our God, too.

- Amen, amen.

Well Annie, thank you somuch for writing this book

because we all need a little fun in 2021.

And you can learn more inAnnie's brand new book,

"That Sounds Fun."

It's available nationwide.

That Sounds Fun is alsothe name of Annie's show.

And you can listen to it onyour favorite podcast provider.

Annie, thank you so much. God bless you.

- Wendy, thanks for havingme, I'm so glad to be here.