Whatcha gonna do when you get out of jail?
“I’m gonna have some fun.”
What do you consider fun?
“Fun! Natural fun!”

That’s how the Tina Weymouth and the Tom Tom Club tackled the subject way back in ’81 with their big hit Genius of Love. Well, although the 80s were definitely a different time and place from our current era, the topic of fun is as relevant as ever.

Fun… Just what is it? How do you define it? Do you know when you’re having it? What can you do to create more of it?

Miriam Webster’s dictionary defines the common noun simply as “what provides amusement or enjoyment” but that seems a little sparse for such a small word with such a large variety of meaning.

It’s a slippery subject. You might be having it, and not realize until later. You might remember having it and want more and not know how to get there. You may sorely feel the lack of it in your day-to-day life. If you’ve ever had too much, you might well have regretted it.

Perhaps you see others having it and feel like you are missing something? (Thanks to the modern miracle of Instagram and the like, millions have been provided with the experience of FOMO, i.e. Fear Of Missing Out, which would seem to be fun’s polar opposite.)

But are all of those carefully crafted reels or colorful curated photos sets really giving you the full picture? Could it be that the influencers have it all backwards and that by creating content out of those special moments they’re actually squeezing the fun right out of them?

I would hazard to say that writing this little stream-of-consciousness note to you on the topic of fun is exactly that, fun. I’m having fun doing it! Why is that?

First of all, I get to have fun with words. All acts of alliteration are always inherently playful. Next, I’m creating a connection with you. Knowing that you and thousands of others will read this tickles me pink! And lastly, on a good day, the words simply flow and the distractions of the outside world fade away.

Before you know it, voilà, my newsletter is written, and fun was had! And by the metrics proposed by author Catherine Price, it’s checked all the boxes!

Her book is titled “The Power of Fun – How to Feel Alive Again“ and she was interviewed this weekend on NPR. She expanded upon the words of Miriam Webster of and came up with her own definition.

Her idea is that fun is a combination of three states, and when they overlap like a Venn diagram, the feeling of fun is at the center and you are having it.

First of all, there’s an element of playfulness. That can be off-putting to serious adults, but it’s really not that hard to access if you think about it. It’s more about simply having a lighthearted attitude about what you are doing and not taking yourself too seriously.

Second, it has a feeling of connection about it. You’re connecting to other people, creatures, or the natural world. Whatever makes your shared experience feel special.

And lastly, fun happens when you’re in the flow. When you peel away distractions, stop watching the clock and ignore the screens, time slips away and flow happens. Flow demands you be present.

As dancers, which I’m sure many of us are, we know that all sorts of states of mind and body can come to the surface, but when it works just right, the three elements converge and it is most definitely fun.

You can probably name any number of other activities that check all the boxes. For me, when I am playing records, connecting with the dancers, and in the flow of a good DJ set, fun is had to the nth degree. I’m sure musicians feel the same way.

Another one of our favorite analog activities checks all the boxes as well. Although we refer to the act of assembling a jigsaw puzzle as ‘working’ on it, we are playing with the pieces, connecting with each other, and getting lost in the flow. (It’s one of the reasons Isabelle’s work goes by the name Puzzlapy, she sees puzzling as happy therapy.)

Catherine Price points out that if we’re not careful our screens and compulsion to create content can rob us of the spontaneity that makes fun authentic. When you pause the action to take that perfect picture or compose a reel you’re removing yourself from the flow. Fun stops when you step outside of it.

Take a look at your favorite activities and see where you stand in the intersection of playfulness, connection, and flow. There’s a sweet spot there that’s fun for the finding.

There’s no beginning and there is no end…Time isn’t present in that dimension…

Much love till next Monday!

M+

Mark Metz
Director of the Dance First Association
Publisher of Conscious Dancer Magazine