More Fun Than I Imagined!

I recently came across the three types of fun (sorry, possible paywall), and it got me thinking.

To summarize (here’s a non-paywall version), Type 1 Fun is fun in the moment. Eating cake and drinking margaritas. It’s joyful all the way through.

Type 2 Fun is not fun in the moment but fun in retrospect. Like reaching the top of a mountain or snorkeling in 35o water. It’s seems like an accomplishment. 

Type 3 Fun is not fun at all. It’s described as failure and sounds regrettable. But, I’m not so sure.

Some of my family’s best stories involve Type 3 Fun. They are usually misadventures led by me, the foolish protagonist. There was the time we tried to hike up a mountain, ran into snow, and lost the trail. There was the time I misread a sign on a hike, and we walked through a field of ticks--both my son and I picked off over a dozen. And, lest you think our misadventures are confined to hiking, there was the time my navigational skills led us to drive a rental car over a mountain pass on a path that could only loosely be described as a road (don’t tell the rental company).

I can’t say I look back on any of these misadventures as Fun, but they are essential parts of my family’s lore, in part because the patriarch becomes the fool. 

Which brings me around to the meaning of Fun and how it fits in with thriving. When we wrote about purpose fatigue, we talked about the importance of meaningful experiences. Not all of these are joyful (Type 1 Fun) or achievements (Type 2 Fun). Some are just memorable moments with people you care about (Type 3 Fun). 

And, that makes me think the goal shouldn’t be just joy or achievement, but also the sharing of an experience, no matter how it turns out.

So, I hope you go on an adventure—or misadventure—with someone you care about soon. However, it turns out, I hope you have some Fun.