My datebook is filled with most of the squares filled in.

When my friend Linda and I were planning a girls day out, she also got out her datebook.

No, no, not this week. That’s filled, we both confirmed. Not next week, either. But we were both free for a day on the third week.

These were not two socialites trying to get together. Nor was it working women trying to find a free date.

Well, Linda is. She is an amazing woman who gathers friends wherever she goes. If she’s walking down the aisle after church by the time she gets to the door she has invited five other women to join us for our regular Sunday brunch. She needs a datebook to keep track of her social activities.

I, on the other hand, can’t find a free date in my calendar because it’s jammed with doctor’s appointments.

What I found is if you go to a doctor with an ailment the first thing they do is order a bunch of tests. Then you have to go back for another appointment to get the results of the tests.

The only good news for me so far is they haven’t found a serious health problem, unless you count the umbilical hernia they found in one of the tests.

“Get it checked out,” my primary doctor said. Make sure it isn’t impinging on an organ.

But things are looking up. Two doctors had advice I’m eager to follow.

Their advice: Have fun. Go back to making fun a priority.

I think my complaints about needing a break from doctor appointments got through to them.

One doctor was a bit more specific. He said he finds getting together with enjoyable social friends is the best kind of medicine.

It works for me.

Yesterday I spent the day with Linda exploring a nearby city she wanted to see. It was crowded because the town was hosting an outdoor art fair.

We walked and walked, checking the offerings at each tent. At the end of the day all I bought was a few skirt hangers, while Linda bought a pair of shoes.

We don’t have to spend much money to have fun. We felt free just to be walking around with no expectations except enjoying each other’s company. And being outside in so much glorious sunshine made us happy.

I actually read a recent study about the physical and mental benefits of being outdoors in sunshine.

Exposure to vitamin D from sunlight has these added benefits:

• Supporting your bone and muscle health.

• Regulating your blood pressure.

• Regulating your immune system.

• Maintaining the health of your blood vessels.

• Keeping your brain working well.

All that plus being outside in sunshine simply make you feel good. It sure does beat sitting in a doctor’s office.

My friend Jeanne and I are now on the lookout for what we can do for fun.

Sometimes we adults get in a rut, mostly doing what needs to be done but not seeking more fun.

Some people like my friends Tom and his wife are creative in finding their vision of fun. Normally they travel a lot and stay in nice places. So it was a big surprise to learn of their latest version of fun.

They found a temporary place deep in the woods for Champagne toasts by a campfire. Their woodsy setting in nature was a far cry from their normal settings.

I saw their intriguing pictures but I’m not sure how long they lasted on a cold night. But they sure had an uncommon adventure.

My 88-year-old friend Val finds her fun on a dance floor almost every night of the week. She just won another dance contest, beating dozens of dancers 30 years younger than she is.

“Dancing keeps me young,” she says. It also keeps her from needing doctors or meds.

I can attest that mentally I aged greatly when cleaning up after two hurricanes in a row forced me to put aside my fun activities like dancing.

But both my mind and my body recognized my need to put more fun in my life.

For one of her podcasts therapist Amy Moran did a segment on the value of play for adults.

“Play is not just for kids,” she says. “It’s a science-backed way to boost your resilience, problem-solving ability and connections.”

She interviewed Cas Holman, the author of the new book “Playful.” The author thinks many adults don’t value the need for play because they were conditioned to only be productive. Yet studies show play helps our physical and mental outlook.

No one has to sell me on having fun.

When I don’t have enough fun in my life my mind seems to blow a whistle to remind me to reboot my activities. Even playing cards with a few friends revives me.

As I age what I do for fun will change with the years. But my need for play will always be part of me.

Email Pattie Mihalik at newsgirl@comcast.net