fun

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What does fun feel like?

Fun is carefree, laughing, singing, taking risks, dancing, letting your hair down.  As I get older, the opportunities for that sort of fun seem to diminish.  Not because of any lack of ability or motivation, just that, somehow, life gets in the way, and convention says those sort of fun things are for ‘the young folk’. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I spend most of my life doing things I enjoy; yoga, writing, photography, painting, gardening… but am I having ‘fun’ exactly?

I’m young.  Not everybody would agree of course, but despite my ageing 1950s edition container, Me, the Me inside, is still in her twenties.  And this twenty something still loves music, rollercoasters, climbing trees, zip-wiring, fast cars, boats, yep, I’m still an adrenaline junkie whenever I get the chance.  But these days, the best fun I have is when my family are all together, stitching each other up over a board game, or playing something daft on our old games console (cow racing being a favourite), or just basically, being silly. And that’s great, but it doesn’t happen often as my two daughters live at different ends of the country (well, one is in Wales, so not even technically in this country), and their shifts mean they are not often ‘off’ to visit their poor old parents at the same time.  We’ve even had to postpone Christmas some years.

However, this week, after months of waiting, Monday 3rd July finally arrived. Finally, finally, I was off to see one of my all time favourite bands.  I was like an excited kid and the evening couldn’t come quickly enough.

What can I say… GreenDay were magnificent, epic, awesome, incredible…

Every single person in the arena were on their feet, dancing, singing, and shouting for the whole two and half hour set.  They played new stuff and old favourites and it was just fabulous.

And me, yeah, oh did I let my hair down!  I danced and sang til I was hoarse. I chanted and cheered and waved my arms about.  The years dropped off and, transported by the music to a world of my own, I was exhilarated and felt young and free and alive and beautiful.  Never mind that I had a 30 year old daughter dancing next to me, we were the same. Me and the slightly scary young bloke on my left. The one with the piercings and tattoos, yeah, we were the same too. In fact, everyone in that arena, no matter what age, or inclination, or colour, or faith, or difference of any kind, were all the same.  Troubles forgotten in that hot, loud world, we were moving with an energy that could have powered the national grid for a year.  And we were all having the best fun… and yes BillieJoe, I ‘ad the time of my life! Thank you xxx

Getting out of the car park afterwards, now that was quite another matter altogether…!

 

 

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Kissless

mistletoe

I watched for more than a moment
were you in my sightline
or was I just staring 

You were taking selfies
head thrown back
glass raised

laughing and grinning
hugging best buddies
you didn’t glance towards the corner 

where I sat sipping
tart Lime soda
that made my teeth sting 

And there amid your festive fun
the decorations
froze my heart 

Especially the mistletoe

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Fun, fun, fun!

Anyone can make up a word.  Children do it all the time. For instance, the five year old Fabulous Ms V entertained us with her variations on ‘poo’ on Saturday. The trick, however, is to get them into wider use. To worm them into other people’s everyday vocabulary.  In fact, one of my more recent new year’s resolutions was to get one of my own made-up words into the Oxford English Dictionary.  Needless to say I have not yet achieved that particular goal.

Actually, 58 years worth of new year’s resolutions and I can only think of one that I’ve managed to keep to, and that was recycling wine bottles, which, frankly I should have been doing anyway.

This year’s, though, is a goer.  I’m sure it is.  Can’t go wrong. This year’s resolution (insert your own drum-roll here) is….

To have fun at every available opportunity.

There, I’ve said it.  Written in black and white and sent into the ether.  Everyone knows.  I’ll just have to keep to it.  None of that whining, misery, or cat-bum-mouthed sulking for me this year.  Oh no, just fun all the way.

I did consider the option of

Not being lazy

But that seemed a little out of reach.  A lot out of reach if I’m honest.

I did wonder about

doing something good every day

That also seemed a little unattainable.  Neither do I want to be seen as one of those po-faced do-gooders.

No, I think  I’m on to a winner with the fun thing.  And actually, it doesn’t have to be partying or going on roller-coasters (though any excuse for either is good), sometimes being a right old misery and having a good ol’ sulk can be fun  too.  Yep, I can do that.  Yep, its a winner.

May all your resolutions be as stickable-to.  Happy New Year!