From Amanda's very early writing (1990s to early 2000s), shared as it was originally written.
- HAVING FUN
Last week I saw a sign on the back of a bus that said something like ‘we should spend less time looking for fun and more time having it’. What a great idea!
Think of the number of people in your life who manage to miss all the fun of a situation because they are fixed on looking for it in other places! The constantly seek parties , artificial stimulants and think that a ‘fun’ time equates to being blind drunk and out of control. As they are throwing up the next morning , they can be heard to mumble “gees it was a good night”!
Which brings me to your definition of ‘fun’. Spend some time thinking about the last time you said “I had the best fun” and recall the situation. If it was fun and health promoting then do more of it. If it was fun and destroying your liver , limit the amount of fun you have! What does a fun time mean to you? Lots of laughter? Doing something which gives you a great sense of purpose? Being silly or outrageous? Having time with your family? Ask everyone in your family what fun means to them, and make a list of those activities or events for your fridge to remind you to do more of them.
And is fun the same as satisfaction? If you could be really satisfied and contented with your life would that mean you would stop having fun? Not for me, fun and joy are by products of living a full rich life that has it’s blend of pain and pleasure, growth and development, wonder and struggle. Can you have fun without being completely satisfied and having everything you want? I think so.
Fun can happen when we decide to enjoy everything we are doing , as we do it. If we know we have to do some unpleasant or difficult task, why not decide to make it fun? Not always easy, but challenge yourself, I bet you would find some way to make some aspect of it fun.
How could you make work more fun? What things could you do that bring more laughter? For you and /or others. Perhaps create a new culture that requires everyone to bring a new joke once a week; or ask each other ‘what’s the funniest thing that’s happened to you today?’ instead of the staid boring ‘how are you?’. Maybe you wear silly ties or Where’s Wally ties to stimulate interest and a sense of fun. What if you walk around with a large smile on your face, and have fun knowing everyone else is wondering what you are smiling about! Oh well, you think of something!
How could you make home more fun? What little rituals that trigger laughter and lightness could you use? Maybe draw a smile on your index finger and waggle it at people? Especially when you are driving? I have lot’s of great ideas like that. Luckily for you , I’ll keep the rest of them to myself!
What else do you enjoy? Theatre? Music? What comedies do you like? What outdoor games can you play? Dancing? When did you last have a simple picnic with family or friends?
If you are really stuck for ideas become creative like a friend of mine who travels on planes a lot. When he feels bored and in the need of a little fun, he leans forward and plucks a single hair out of the person in the front seat. Very quickly he falls back and pretends he is sleeping. His poor wife who is sitting innocently beside him, receives the full blast of the ‘one hair less’ person. This leaves them both paralytic with laughter!
Well, you may no think that was fun but they did and I think it was very creative!
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