After I retired and moved to Florida, I was often asked how I spent my time.

It’s a legitimate question because when I was working at the newspaper I was completely wrapped up in my job. I loved every single day at work, every challenge and every chance to do what I loved - interviewing people, writing feature stories and helping to produce the daily newspaper.

Some of my friends thought someone as committed to her job as I was would have a hard time adjusting to a totally different kind of life. So of course they wanted to know what I did to replace the adrenaline rush we call daily journalism.

My answer: I’m enjoying my second childhood.

My first childhood was fun because I could do what I wanted to do. There was no “must-do list.” Every day was total freedom.

There are few expectations on young kids. They are free to pursue what they view as fun.

When I think of my childhood I think of days and nights I spent outdoors with my friends.

We stayed outside until it got dark playing games with neighborhood kids.

No one finds more simple ways to have fun than a kid does.

When it rained, our version of fun was jumping in puddles and running through gutters.

We wouldn’t sit around moping because it was raining.

I thought about that this week when our parched lawns finally got the rain we all wanted. When we thought we had enough rain we couldn’t just turn it off. It kept coming for a continuous week or two.

As I looked forlornly at the rain pelting the swimming pool I was tempted to just jump in and enjoy time in the pool.

That’s when it dawned on me that my second childhood wasn’t as free as my early childhood because as an adult I’m more bound by limits of imagination I place on myself.

In my earlier days when our Outer Banks vacation consisted of Hurricane Dennis and six straight days of rain, we didn’t let that stop us from going in the pool.

That memory made me realize I was putting the brakes on my fun. Kids aren’t hindered by rain, so why should this big kid have to stay inside?

I grabbed a big golf umbrella and went for a walk in the rain, kicking up some puddles along the way. It made me feel like a kid again.

That reinforced my belief that if you need to relearn how to have fun, go to the real experts - kids themselves.

Who smiles and giggles more than a little baby? It doesn’t take much to bring on a baby’s glee.

Ask any grandparent what gives them the most pleasure and you’ll hear about their joys of being with their grandkids.

One neighborhood man who doesn’t talk much went on to deliver a soliloquy about the “absolutely amazing way his grandson amused him.”

Kids teach us how to have fun.

I find joy in being around kids of all ages. I look at their bright eyes and happy smiles and hope they will maintain their inner joy throughout life.

A recent survey asked adults if they still maintained at least some of their childhood fun. Only 20 percent said they did.

The author reached the same conclusion I have about happiness. We can learn much by studying children.

As adults, one thing we have a hard time doing is staying in the moment.

When kids are outside playing they have an easy time staying in the moment. They don’t worry about school the next day. They know how to take one moment at a time.

When they want to play with another kid, they don’t hesitate to stand outside a house and call a friend.

When we’re older, we aren’t as likely to ask others to join us in an activity.

Kids think only about the present moment and the possibility for fun in that moment.

On the other hand, instead of staying focused on the moment we adults are wondering what we will make for dinner or thinking about a problem that’s bothering us.

Lately, when I do my gratitude walk first thing in the morning I have to pray that I stop “living in my head” instead of enjoying the day in front of me.

I’m working on changing that behavior.

One motivational speaker said if you want to be happier slow down and get away from your daily grind - at least for a while.

He suggested we make a list of things that deplete our energy and a second list of things that give us joy.

“If you want to find joy do something you love,” he advised.

My friend Cindy loves to dance. Mired in family problems, she and her husband stopped taking time for the dancing they loved.

They rediscover some of the joy missing from their lives by getting back to it.

What about you? Did you stop an activity that once made you happy?

Rev up your happiness, experts tell us, by scheduling playtime like Cindy and her husband did.

It’s such an easy step yet it’s one we avoid.

Experts also suggest spending time in nature as another way to restore joy.

All our fun doesn’t have to end in childhood.

There is definitely something worthwhile in seeking a second childhood.

Contact Pattie Mihalik at newsgirl@comcast.net.