What actually is Fun?

Being addressed as boring?

Photo by MI PHAM on Unsplash

I will start this letter in a not-so-me way by consulting my dictionary for the actual meaning of the word, ‘fun’. According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, fun means “what provides amusement or enjoyment.” As if we didn’t already know that, right? Don’t roll your eyes—you have no right. Well, maybe a little.

Yes, we all know that the word ‘fun’ is attached to enjoyment, happiness, and everything uplifting, but that has not stopped us from having a curated list of what fun should be.

In primary school, fun for my classmates meant dancing. Everyone struggled to be in that line, hoping to be picked as part of the dance team. Of course, I struggled as well. It's actually funny because I have no dancing bones—whether it was a simple move or not, I’d still flop. Either I lacked the charisma, or I just wasn’t getting it. But that didn’t stop me. Every year, I would try out for the dance team to rehearse for the graduation ceremony, and almost every year, I’d be selected out of the dance. Hei! I would cry and cry harder than a newborn baby—not because I cared about dancing, but because I believed people wouldn’t see me as ‘fun’ if I couldn’t dance. Trust me, it was not just in my head—my classmates actually did laugh at me as the ‘boring’ girl that could only read and write.

As I grew older, ‘fun’ metamorphosed into different forms—things I wasn’t interested in, like making ‘fun’ friends, going out, drinking, smoking, dancing (still here😏👀), and many other youthful activities. Not participating in these activities meant I didn’t fit in; I was seen as awkward, weird, and definitely not ‘fun.’

But what really is fun?

Fun isn't about what makes others happy; it's what makes you happy.

For me, it's simple.

Being left alone with my eyes focused on the pages of a book. That's fun.

Allowing my thoughts to flow freely as I put them down on blank pages. That's fun.

Laughing and chatting with loved ones. That's fun.

Talking about my favourite books, shows and movies with someone who shares similar interests. That's Fun.

Reading book reviews. Bigggg fun.

For a long time, I struggled to admit what I considered fun. I spent years trying so hard to be like them, to meet up with their definition of fun, and it ended up dimming my light. Accept that your idea of fun is different and it's what makes you who you are.

So, what's fun to you?

That's a question you should really think about. Don't let someone else's idea of fun become yours. The worst thing you can do is to let others label your fun as boring.