What’s Fun to You?

This past weekend I decided to take a break from it all, even if it was for only one night, and it was everything I could ask for and more.  For the most part, a Saturday night for me usually consists of having friends over and going out in Newport and having some fun.  I love going out as I believe it keeps a person sane, but sometimes you need to change it up.  As I said earlier going out on Saturdays is fun, but this weekend I was looking for something different, something quite contrary to going out and being social.

How can you tell someone is having fun? At a quick thought you would think you can tell someone is having fun by the smile on their face, or perhaps how they act around other people?  A person in a corner at a party by themselves versus the dude throwing his hands around and screaming ‘party on’ would be initially thought to be having less of a good time, but it is very clear that these assumptions are not true.

So what did I do on Saturday night? I did absolutely nothing with no one. Well, I obviously did stuff to keep me busy but by most eyes I would be seen as doing nothing. My night consisted of:  Movies, Video Games, TV and some Coding.  I didn’t go out, not even to get dinner, I cooked food at home.  The only calorie burning activities I did were moving from the couch to my computer chair or moving my thumbs while playing a game or typing.  At midnight, I thought about the differences between a regular night for me and the night I was having.  Instead of a beer in hand, it was the TV remote.  Instead of people and crowds I was looking at, it was the TV or computer screen.  Instead of jeans and shirt, it was shorts and a jersey.

I had fun.

So what is fun? Let’s see what it is by definition:

Enjoyment.

Amusement.

Pleasure.

Having fun is a personal thing, just like religion or food preferences.  I can’t make someone have fun, nor can you make me.  Sometimes you need people to have fun, like when I have the desire to go out I know it would be more fun if all my friends are there.  My friends bring me joy.  However I’m also happy if my friends are having fun in their own right and I might not be.  It’s actually kind of hard to think of all the things that bring you “fun” when you keep the definition in mind.  What brings you joy? What amuses you? What gives you pleasure?

This Saturday I had so much fun it was ridiculous.  Just as I believe one needs to go out to keep sane, I believe one needs to occasionally do the opposite.  How a person interacts around others is just as important as how one interacts with themselves.  Can you have fun without your friends? I don’t know about you, but I can.  What would you do, what would you do to have actual “fun” and not just “keep busy”?  I know some people wouldn’t think coding or playing video games is fun, but for me it is.

I’m not done with going out and by all means I love going out.  There will also be another weekend when I will stay in again. People might be partying around me and trying to convince me to go out, but I will respectfully decline.  If they tell me, “c’mon James! Don’t stay in, don’t you wanna have some fun!”, I will lightly respond, “I am”.

Whether you go out all the time or stay in all the time, I strongly believe there is one thing you must do on Saturday nights.

Have Fun.