There are so many problems plaguing our lovely world that I could be preoccupying myself with. Gaza. Ukraine. Climate change. Racism. But what plagues me most of all, on a purely everyday level, is that it feels like a lot of fun has gone out of life.
Hard to say what’s causing it. A certain carefulness that has crept into everyday discourse. More forms to fill in. Cars that give you nannyish warnings. A scarcity of colourful characters. Meals where the talk is more of allergies and intolerances than the deliciousness of the food.
A reduction in random encounters on the street. Holiday stories that centre more on wrangles with airlines and the price of cappuccino than on beautiful cathedrals and sandy beaches.
It could be to do with being in my forties. Not a carefree decade – though I do get away with murder, responsibility wise.
So, what do I do about it?
A few weeks ago, I gave a creative writing workshop for businesswomen and the subject of values came up. I can think of a few values I hold dear - and fun is one of those values. Sounds fierce earnest, doesn’t it. But it’s true nonetheless.
And you’ll think I’m a right Pollyanna when I tell you how I reckon fun works as a value. Fun is about extracting the humour, the lightness, the joy in every situation, and spreading it to other people.
There are the obvious sources of fun, the pure pleasure of a meal in a restaurant, a night out, a concert or a play. The real challenge is to find the fun in everyday life.
I’m a great woman for extracting the joy, despite the Olympic-level whingeing I do. When I put the washing on the clothesline, I start imagining I’m a 19th-century scullery maid and declare, ‘I’m a martyr to my chilblains’ in a Cockney accent.
I’m a big fan of silly voices. Also dancing like no-one is watching. At the gym I put on heavy beats and suddenly I’m not on a torture-chamber Stairmaster, but at a nightclub or on a ski slope.
Small children can be trying, but they’re also a heap of fun. They give me an excuse to blow raspberries, squeal with delight, read stories complete with silly voices, roll down a hill and look up at the sky.
Photo Description; A girl is playing in the sea. Splashes of water goes up in the air. Her face is turned away but you can see her grinning. She has dark hair and wears yellow arm bands and buoyancy ring with a red face on it.
What about spreading the fun to others? This is a tricky business. I really admire people who can generate an atmosphere of fun, who can get people on their feet dancing, start a sing song bring strangers together and generate a joyful hum of conversation.
Other people’s idea of fun may not be the same as mine. I have to accept I’m going to be too much for some. We are indeed living in minefield times – the slightest slip and a mine will explode. Also, I need to be in the humour for fun – there’s nothing worse than fun that’s inflicted on you.
I largely create fun with banter, slipping one-liners over to café and retail staff along with my payment. I may whinge at an Olympic level, but I can banter at an Olympic level too – I’m hoping the two things cancel each other out.
And I bring fun into my work. When I’m giving workshops, I give people licence to have fun. I have a notion that the businesswomen at my workshop a few weeks ago laughed more than they expected to, doing an activity that I suspect they did not regard as fun.
It was the same when I ran my own creative writing workshops. The people who came were the ones most burdened by responsibility, the ones with the children, the jobs, the elderly parents – or all three. As the workshops progressed, I could see them blow off the dust of everyday life and tune into the magic of the everyday.
Since I do get away with murder responsibility wise, I am in a good position to help other people shed theirs. By creating a fun atmosphere, I can help people reconnect with a more playful self that life has forced them to shelve.
We’re told to be the change we want to see in the world. Well, I want to see more fun – to have more fun, and to bring other people along for the ride. That’s the small role I can play in pushing back the forces of darkness.
I’m honestly not fishing for compliments when I say this, but I do hope reading the posts on my newsletter is fun for you, a bit of a break in your day. If you think your friends might find it fun, share it with them and ask them to hit this button…