Adventure

Fun or Interesting?

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hot air balloon
The balloon ride I took with my oldest and youngest daughters was a slow type of fun. Just so you know I can have a little fun now and then.

Office talk isn’t often very deep. We greet our coworkers, ask how things are going – you know, the usual. I caught myself yesterday, about to ask an office mate what she was going to do this weekend. Instead of asking her if she planned something fun, I realized I was really wondering if she was going to do anything interesting. And that’s when it hit me.

hot air balloon shadow
The shadow of our hot air balloon ride in Arizona.

I often wonder why I don’t spend more time having fun like many of the people I know. People are always talking about the fun they have and how it isn’t good for me to work so hard and not have fun like they do. I was beginning to think there was something wrong with me. Fun just isn’t that big of a motivator for me.

Albuquerque
Albuquerque, New Mexico, where my husband, youngest daughter, and I viewed some of the most spectacular petroglyphs we’ve seen. They were up close, accessible, and have weathered the years very well.

I want to do things that are interesting. I can read all weekend and feel it was time well-spent. I invite my good friends to do interesting things with me, and we enjoy deep and rich conversation. We might also do something creative or attend a class. This outlook can be a problem when I’m confronted with people who have vastly different interests; I don’t know what to say when talk turns to popular movies or sports. If they’re in fun mode and I’m in interesting mode, we aren’t likely to find common ground. But for people who do interesting things, or think in intriguing ways, the sky’s the limit!

petrogloyphs
My idea of an interesting vacation – examining petroglyphs left by Native Americans hundreds of years ago. The place felt very sacred, making us think the glyphs had a spiritual significance.

So I’m going to stop criticizing myself for not having fun and accept that I would rather have a life that is interesting. When I think of a girl’s night out, I search my list of friends for someone I think has done something interesting, learned something new, or has something to teach me. Am I the only one out there? Let me know whether you’re a fun-lover or an interesting-seeker in the comments. I suspect the blogging community may be skewed toward the interesting side, but I’m not sure. There’s only one way to find out!

 

 

17 comments

  1. I think we all have a different definition of fun, and it’s great to see others, like you, have a similar one to mine 🙂 I’m also not into going to pubs and partying. I like to use my time wisely, learn more, practice more, get better at things, and also spend time with a very small circle of friends, with similar interests. I think this is the right type of fun! Thank you for sharing your experience with us!

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  3. I like a bit of both. Mostly I love interesting, but sometimes it’s great to just kick back and have fun. Neither is right and neither is wrong, the only thing that’s “right” is what each of us enjoys best. 🙂

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  4. I think it all comes down to how much imagination you have – or maybe what kind 🙂 . For me a great book IS fun, because it takes me to all kinds of wonderful places.
    Also, finding out something new or discovering new places is fun for me. I just want to keep expanding!
    I’m happy to spend time with others, but they’d need to be the sort of others who want to talk about the REAL stuff, so workshops or a coffee with like-minded souls rather than small talk at parties.

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  5. For years I felt the same way. I felt like I must be a wet blanket or boring. I’d much prefer to curl up with a good book to going to the bar. Or, go tea tasting rather than shoe shopping. And, sports? Don’t even get me started! It took going outside of my comfort zone and reaching out to find others with like interests and now I have people to have fun with. My kind of fun! I used to inwardly thumb my nose at people that had a different idea of fun than me. I thought they were shallow or part of the societal “herd”. But, now I genuinely am happy for anyone who can find happiness in whatever activity they choose. And, I would NEVER tell someone they just need to have more fun and stop working so hard. I think that is just as rude as telling a skinny person they need to eat more, or a heavy person they need to eat less. The analogy doesn’t entirely work, but same result: It’s rude! You do whatever you want to do!!

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  6. I think I’m both and as Robin said, “It has to be interesting to be fun.” I seem to be so out of the loop on what people are wearing, doing, or saying, or what’s the latest and hottest new gadget that I often find myself bored with conversations about stuff.
    I love your petroglyph pictures. Now, that looks like fun..

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  9. I don’t know, to me, it sounds your definition of doing something fun…is doing something that’s interesting.
    Or maybe I’m imposing my definition of fun on you. I’m not a party girl and there aren’t many movies that intrigue me. I only enjoy going to bars with my guy (it’s very rare that we choose to go). It’s usually because it’s either by the ocean or someplace “interesting”….
    In my world, it has to be interesting in order to be fun.
    ❤

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