Love this read. My husband has such a great sense of humor (mines not bad either;) and we banter in fun ways all the time. We are only going on 12 years of marriage and 15 years together, but every day gets better and we love each other more!❤️
Thanks for the Follow Ann! This certainly is my type of article. So easy to read and yet intriguing writing about a tiny word that is so subjective and personal to define and really made me I think, which I love. I can see why you went round and round before publishing! My husband of 49 years is always taking the 'micky' as we Brits say. Usually out of me, or some other poor acquaintance he's met. Some would say it is in good 'fun' as he's not derogative or nasty with it, just has a strange, quick witted, sense of humour. But sometimes when I've got my grumpy head on its not fun, or I don't get the joke, whilst he's smirking his head off!! He can bring this old lady out of her serious overthinking self but I have to hide the laughing despite quietly fuming, or he'll persist. Ex brickie, you see and so he was used to taking the micky out of everyone!! He calls it 'just fun'. So who am I to argue!
Welcome to my Substack. My aim is to stimulate and amuse in no particular order and sometimes just tell a story. You might like 83 with potential as one example. I keep my posts short and only fortnightly, as I know everyone has too much to read. I live in the UK and long ago learned ‘taking the Micky’, which my grandson now calls ‘extracting the Michael’ and yes, I am often the butt of it all, except that over time I have learned to give as well as I get.
Indeed that’s what they call it now. There’s an article, to find out who Micky was? Yes I agree fortnightly is great timing. I aim to have my Wonder Notes here and have just finished the first one, which is to examine all sorts of things I just wonder about as they occur to me.
I’m from Southampton in the UK but we emigrated to the Costa Blanca North in Spain 10 years ago.
Thanks for this timely read, Ann. I totally understand your struggle. Today is my birthday, and leading up to it, my friends asked me what I wanted to do. I absolutely knew I wanted to have fun, but what was that? Going out to lunch or dinner seemed tame. We do that often. Checking out some live bands and having a few adult beverages seemed like overkill, something we did years ago but not really our idea of fun now we are in our sixties. I thought of lots of experiences I would consider fun, but I knew they would not be my friends' cup of tea. We have settled for a lunch out and combing some thrift stores. Doesn't sound like much 'fun', but I am sure our time together will be filled with love and laughter, so that's fun. After reading your post, I realize that anything we would do together would have been fun, if only I hadn't been the one who had to come up with it. So spontaneity and surprise definitely have a place in my definition of fun. Look forward to digging in to the rest of your posts, after I go have some fun❣️
Sounds like you and your friends need some lightening up. Donald Duck masks? Donald Trump masks? unmatching socks - prize for the best combo - I just thought of those in the time it took me to type. There must be plenty more…Have a happy birthday, whatever happens. My very recent piece https://arichardson.substack.com/p/ladies-of-83-and-potential centres on a birthday that was going be a big nothig and turned into a lof of fun. Good luck
The medieval village comment made me laugh! My husband and I have a similar banter. He once was helping me into the car after an injury sustained in Mexico, while lifting he said “you better lay off the tacos” and we both had a great laugh.
You’re the first person to note that comment, which I thought was rather good for a spur-of-the-moment contribution. Marital banter is great as long as it is even-handed.
A joy to read, Ann. I think playfulness is one aspect of fun. I think that it can combine, as you suggest in the comments, with a deep sense of seriousness.
Thank you, Jeffrey. And welcome to my home. I don't know about other people, but both my husband and I combine both seriousness and fun. We can also turn from one to the other like the flip of a light switch. This was my first foray into trying to define fun, however, and I think I will keep to easier topics from now on.
Fun. I’m glad you have described it as difficult to pin down. It’s one of those things I tell myself i should have more of. But it is elusive! Banter with people I love is fun and there are people in my life where this happens fairly reliably! I can get still get quite giddy playing tickle chase. Thanks Ann for the post x
Well, the thing is, I thought it was going to be easy. And it wasn't. I certainly know when I am having fun, so why is it so difficult to define? Answer - I don't know. But I had fun writing it and am pleased that some people are having fun reading it.
I do think the OED is on to something with the ‘merry-making.’ For me, fun is someone going the extra step to infuse a mundane moment with a little zest. Thanks for the post. It’s fun to think about fun. 💖
Yes, it is fun to think about fun, but I found it very difficult. Usually, I write a post in 30-45 minutes and it is more or less done. This one I played with for weeks, including the morning it was posted.
Well, I am an odd combination of a very serious person (I think about things deeply and feel them deeply) and a light hearted one. I guess anyone could have guessed that at some point I would analyse fun. Now, can I make jokes about the deeper things in life? I don’t know. I write about death quite a bit, but it is rarely funny, although this one might make you smile (https://arichardson.substack.com/p/knowing-when-you-are-going-to-die).
(My goodness, that photo of your daughter reminds me of myself in my younger days! I’m travelling at the moment with minimal internet but will have to check my family tree when I get home. Perhaps you could let me know your maiden name too. I’m of British and Scottish heritage with a little Irish in there too I think.)
My Dad was definitely a fun man who always had a cheery word for everyone. A lovely post. Thanks so much.
Wouldn't it be fun if we discovered we were related! My daughter takes after my husband (when she was born, I always joked he wouldn't need a paternity test) and his name is Richardson. His mother's maiden name was Farrar. (Father came from Newcastle, mother from Liverpool - both ordinary working class families.)
In my family, my father's family on both sides were German (my maiden name was Goldschmidt and his mother's maiden name was Rochs). My mother's family were all English and Irish. Her maiden name was Wickenden and her mother's maiden name was Lamb. There! Go figure!
Fun. It is indeed not easy to define it. Fun is something we do that lightens our heart and hopefully lightens others too. Fun brings twinkle to my eyes, big smile to my face. Fun makes me forget the time. Fun gets my full attention. Fun keeps me going. Fun is parallel to the boring and serious part of life, it helps us live the full spectrum.
Great. All that adds to what I was struggling to say, Rachel. Thanks so much. It's odd that very simple things that we take for granted can be difficult to pin down in a definition. I suppose if the OED couldn't do it, I shouldn't be surprised that I found it difficult.
Once again The Granny Who Stands On Her Head has captured the essence of that magical and wonderful experience - joy. I too would prefer being with people who had that capability and shared it with others.
So very excellent a posting. A thoughtful discussion of an essential aspect of mental stability and a useful tool in the knapsack of healthy living. Delivered in deceptively easy prose.
Ann, your post is such a joy! Fun in itself, really! Your dad sounds like he was an absolute hoot, and it’s clear the apple didn’t fall far with your husband’s delightful antics. What a gift to have so much laughter and playful banter in your life. It must keep everything feeling light and full of spark. I’d wager there’s never a dull moment when he’s around!
Okay, I'll try to answer your questions. Well, fun to me is always the unexpected joys in life’s little moments. The belly laugh that surprises you or the playful banter that makes the most ordinary of days, extraordinary! And yes, fun is absolutely important because a life without fun would be like pancakes without syrup, good, but missing that special sweetness!
Fun, I notice, always brings out lots of these !!!! when I'm writing fun things!
Well, Deborah,I think in this, as in a number of other things (but not tarot cards), we are on the same page. You're right about 'life's little moments'. Yes, I am very lucky to have so much fun around me all the time. I certainly thrive on it and would not, in its absence, be the person I am. Thank you for the restack.
An excellent approach, Karen. I presume you're English - it is one of the great English qualities which is much rarer where I came from (US) when I landed on these shores.
Love this read. My husband has such a great sense of humor (mines not bad either;) and we banter in fun ways all the time. We are only going on 12 years of marriage and 15 years together, but every day gets better and we love each other more!❤️
Sounds like you are well on the way to a long happy life.
Thanks for the Follow Ann! This certainly is my type of article. So easy to read and yet intriguing writing about a tiny word that is so subjective and personal to define and really made me I think, which I love. I can see why you went round and round before publishing! My husband of 49 years is always taking the 'micky' as we Brits say. Usually out of me, or some other poor acquaintance he's met. Some would say it is in good 'fun' as he's not derogative or nasty with it, just has a strange, quick witted, sense of humour. But sometimes when I've got my grumpy head on its not fun, or I don't get the joke, whilst he's smirking his head off!! He can bring this old lady out of her serious overthinking self but I have to hide the laughing despite quietly fuming, or he'll persist. Ex brickie, you see and so he was used to taking the micky out of everyone!! He calls it 'just fun'. So who am I to argue!
Welcome to my Substack. My aim is to stimulate and amuse in no particular order and sometimes just tell a story. You might like 83 with potential as one example. I keep my posts short and only fortnightly, as I know everyone has too much to read. I live in the UK and long ago learned ‘taking the Micky’, which my grandson now calls ‘extracting the Michael’ and yes, I am often the butt of it all, except that over time I have learned to give as well as I get.
Indeed that’s what they call it now. There’s an article, to find out who Micky was? Yes I agree fortnightly is great timing. I aim to have my Wonder Notes here and have just finished the first one, which is to examine all sorts of things I just wonder about as they occur to me.
I’m from Southampton in the UK but we emigrated to the Costa Blanca North in Spain 10 years ago.
Thanks for this timely read, Ann. I totally understand your struggle. Today is my birthday, and leading up to it, my friends asked me what I wanted to do. I absolutely knew I wanted to have fun, but what was that? Going out to lunch or dinner seemed tame. We do that often. Checking out some live bands and having a few adult beverages seemed like overkill, something we did years ago but not really our idea of fun now we are in our sixties. I thought of lots of experiences I would consider fun, but I knew they would not be my friends' cup of tea. We have settled for a lunch out and combing some thrift stores. Doesn't sound like much 'fun', but I am sure our time together will be filled with love and laughter, so that's fun. After reading your post, I realize that anything we would do together would have been fun, if only I hadn't been the one who had to come up with it. So spontaneity and surprise definitely have a place in my definition of fun. Look forward to digging in to the rest of your posts, after I go have some fun❣️
Sounds like you and your friends need some lightening up. Donald Duck masks? Donald Trump masks? unmatching socks - prize for the best combo - I just thought of those in the time it took me to type. There must be plenty more…Have a happy birthday, whatever happens. My very recent piece https://arichardson.substack.com/p/ladies-of-83-and-potential centres on a birthday that was going be a big nothig and turned into a lof of fun. Good luck
The medieval village comment made me laugh! My husband and I have a similar banter. He once was helping me into the car after an injury sustained in Mexico, while lifting he said “you better lay off the tacos” and we both had a great laugh.
You’re the first person to note that comment, which I thought was rather good for a spur-of-the-moment contribution. Marital banter is great as long as it is even-handed.
A joy to read, Ann. I think playfulness is one aspect of fun. I think that it can combine, as you suggest in the comments, with a deep sense of seriousness.
Thank you, Jeffrey. And welcome to my home. I don't know about other people, but both my husband and I combine both seriousness and fun. We can also turn from one to the other like the flip of a light switch. This was my first foray into trying to define fun, however, and I think I will keep to easier topics from now on.
Fun. I’m glad you have described it as difficult to pin down. It’s one of those things I tell myself i should have more of. But it is elusive! Banter with people I love is fun and there are people in my life where this happens fairly reliably! I can get still get quite giddy playing tickle chase. Thanks Ann for the post x
Well, the thing is, I thought it was going to be easy. And it wasn't. I certainly know when I am having fun, so why is it so difficult to define? Answer - I don't know. But I had fun writing it and am pleased that some people are having fun reading it.
I do think the OED is on to something with the ‘merry-making.’ For me, fun is someone going the extra step to infuse a mundane moment with a little zest. Thanks for the post. It’s fun to think about fun. 💖
Yes, it is fun to think about fun, but I found it very difficult. Usually, I write a post in 30-45 minutes and it is more or less done. This one I played with for weeks, including the morning it was posted.
Thanks for slogging through, Ann! You delivered a fun experience for the readers. 💖
Well, I am an odd combination of a very serious person (I think about things deeply and feel them deeply) and a light hearted one. I guess anyone could have guessed that at some point I would analyse fun. Now, can I make jokes about the deeper things in life? I don’t know. I write about death quite a bit, but it is rarely funny, although this one might make you smile (https://arichardson.substack.com/p/knowing-when-you-are-going-to-die).
(My goodness, that photo of your daughter reminds me of myself in my younger days! I’m travelling at the moment with minimal internet but will have to check my family tree when I get home. Perhaps you could let me know your maiden name too. I’m of British and Scottish heritage with a little Irish in there too I think.)
My Dad was definitely a fun man who always had a cheery word for everyone. A lovely post. Thanks so much.
Wouldn't it be fun if we discovered we were related! My daughter takes after my husband (when she was born, I always joked he wouldn't need a paternity test) and his name is Richardson. His mother's maiden name was Farrar. (Father came from Newcastle, mother from Liverpool - both ordinary working class families.)
In my family, my father's family on both sides were German (my maiden name was Goldschmidt and his mother's maiden name was Rochs). My mother's family were all English and Irish. Her maiden name was Wickenden and her mother's maiden name was Lamb. There! Go figure!
Fun. It is indeed not easy to define it. Fun is something we do that lightens our heart and hopefully lightens others too. Fun brings twinkle to my eyes, big smile to my face. Fun makes me forget the time. Fun gets my full attention. Fun keeps me going. Fun is parallel to the boring and serious part of life, it helps us live the full spectrum.
Great. All that adds to what I was struggling to say, Rachel. Thanks so much. It's odd that very simple things that we take for granted can be difficult to pin down in a definition. I suppose if the OED couldn't do it, I shouldn't be surprised that I found it difficult.
Fun = those Saturday morning yoga classes with the usual crew;)
Not quite fun, but a lot of good things!
Once again The Granny Who Stands On Her Head has captured the essence of that magical and wonderful experience - joy. I too would prefer being with people who had that capability and shared it with others.
Thanks, Pat, as always. You are a very loyal reader!
So very excellent a posting. A thoughtful discussion of an essential aspect of mental stability and a useful tool in the knapsack of healthy living. Delivered in deceptively easy prose.
Thanks so much, Susan. Of all the posts I have written in two+ years, I struggled with this one most of all and even amended it this morning.
Ann, your post is such a joy! Fun in itself, really! Your dad sounds like he was an absolute hoot, and it’s clear the apple didn’t fall far with your husband’s delightful antics. What a gift to have so much laughter and playful banter in your life. It must keep everything feeling light and full of spark. I’d wager there’s never a dull moment when he’s around!
Okay, I'll try to answer your questions. Well, fun to me is always the unexpected joys in life’s little moments. The belly laugh that surprises you or the playful banter that makes the most ordinary of days, extraordinary! And yes, fun is absolutely important because a life without fun would be like pancakes without syrup, good, but missing that special sweetness!
Fun, I notice, always brings out lots of these !!!! when I'm writing fun things!
Well, Deborah,I think in this, as in a number of other things (but not tarot cards), we are on the same page. You're right about 'life's little moments'. Yes, I am very lucky to have so much fun around me all the time. I certainly thrive on it and would not, in its absence, be the person I am. Thank you for the restack.
Fun comes from the heart!
It never puts anyone down, never makes anyone feel excluded,and it is great when shared or jumping in a puddle on your own.
Well said, Kathy. Jumping in puddles is a great image as well as metaphor.
I enjoy making fun of myself, which puts others at ease to share their own foibles. Then we can all have a good laugh about our shared humanity.
An excellent approach, Karen. I presume you're English - it is one of the great English qualities which is much rarer where I came from (US) when I landed on these shores.
Born and raised in California. I think the secret is in who one surrounds themselves with.
So I got that wrong! Not the first time. And even more good for you for being willing to make fun of yourself.