It’s a pretty easy word to define.
Fun: enjoyment, amusement, or lighthearted pleasure, according to Google. Way to make fun sound robotic, am I right?
I digress.
As kids, people are born with this innate ability to enjoy things, among other abilities, but usually while trying something new or different, kids seem to be having fun.
Sometimes, the ability to enjoy things in the same way we did as kids can become lost on adults.
How many adults do you know have an activity they enjoy strictly based around fun? The sad answer, at least in my opinion, is not enough.
But fear not, I had an epiphany to help put this conversation in perspective.
I went skiing this weekend at Marmot Basin in Jasper, and a thought occurred to me as I was sitting on the chair lift for the last run of the day.
“I had a lot of fun today,” which was a weird thought — not because I was thinking about how I had fun — but the fact that I don’t consciously acknowledge when I’ve had fun very often.
The more I thought about it, I don’t think I described my day of skiing as fun because of the enjoyment, amusement or lighthearted pleasure I indulged in, but rather because of the lack of routine from my everyday life that I was experiencing.
No matter where you live or what you do for work, routine is a part of our lives. There are things you have to do consistently, whether it’s your 40-hour-a-week job, caring for your kids and family, furthering a passion you have, or all of the above.
As much as you may love your life, as I know I do mine, our routines become a mundane existence, and at times, it can almost be depressing. There isn’t always excitement in our lives.
Which brings me back to my day of skiing.
It’s probably not the best example, because it really is a lot of fun in the most traditional sense of the word.
But the best part of my day wasn’t carving through powder or breathing in the mountain air — it was fresh in Jasper (too soon, Valemount? I kid) — it was the break in my routine. It was like a mini vacation.
I treated myself to a change, and it made a difference in my morale. It’s important to be able to recognize when you need a break, for your own mental health.
Ask yourself, when was the last time I took a break? When was the last time I did something different? When was the last time I had fun?
Regardless of if you have a hobby or passion, regardless of what the answer to those questions are, enjoy yourself.
Have some fun, even if it means redefining the word.
