Happy Sunday, Readers.
Today I’d like to talk about something fun. Or, more precisely, about fun itself.
Its a funny little word, fun (See what I did there?). We use it a lot, for a variety of things and, for myself at least, I hadn’t really thought about what “Fun” is.
What does it mean to have fun?
Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary defines “Fun” as Follows:
Someone or something that is amusing or enjoyable.
An enjoyable or amusing time
The feeling of being amused or entertained.
Amusing, entertaining, enjoyable.
I confess that I’ve used those words interchangeably for “Fun.” I also find it interesting that the one word used in all three definitions – amusing – is, for me, the word I’d be least likely to use. Again, for me, it doesn’t have the emotional “weight” for “Fun.”
However you look at it, though each definition is based on a description of something else. If you didn’t know what the word “Amusing” meant, the definition of “Fun” falls apart.
What, then, is “Fun?”
Author’s note: This is written from my perspective, and any examples are plucked from fields of my own tending. Your Mileage may vary and that’s ok. Don’t yuck anyone else’s yum, m’kay?
I think that “Fun” – wherever you find it can be either physically, or mentally engaging. It can, in fact, be both.
“Fun” doesn’t necessarily have to be “Funny.”
“Fun” is more than the sum of it’s descriptors. Something can be entertaining, but not Fun.
One of the most fundamental (That was unintentional) aspect of “Fun” involves a feeling of engagement so profound that you lose track of elements beyond the present.
When you’re having Fun you’re utterly present in the moment. Everything outside the immediate moment – even Time – vanishes into the background.
I’ve described this feeling while writing as being “In the Zone.” There this state you reach when everything just falls away and it’s you and the words – and perhaps it’s not coincidence that the word amusement is associated so heavily with Fun. Whether or not you believe The Muse exists, The Zone is something that finds you.
It’s the same thing with Fun. You don’t just flip a switch and you’re having Fun. You start out amused, perhaps, then entertained. Then somewhere along the way, you engage utterly, and I don’t think this is a conscious decision.
When I think back to the times I had “Fun” the experiences are wide ranging. I have had Fun writing, dancing, walking, listening to music, reading, singing karaoke.
They have been activities both active and passive.
Fun is where it finds you and I think that we are so much the better for it when it lets us go.
This week, I’d like you to take a moment and think about the times you had Fun. What were you doing? The answers might surprise you.
Then I invite you to join me in making space for more Fun activities in your life.
Thanks for reading. Be safe out there. Be Excellent to Each other – and yourself.
I’ll see you on Thursday.
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Weird Wild West
Trials
Predators in Petticoats
