Exploring what FUN actually means

As I’ve been reflecting on the latest Golden Stone Nature Retreat, and reflecting on how it was “so much fun,” it’s reminding me of a We Can do Hard Things episode that interviewed Catherine Price about Fun, and what that actually means.

From her research, true fun consists of 3 elements: play, flow, and connection. And from her research, “true fun” must have all of these components.

Playfulness: having a lighthearted attitude, not taking yourself too seriously, not taking the outcome too seriously.

Flow: the state you get into when you’re actively engaged in and focused on what you’re doing, to the point that you can often lose track of time.

Connection: refers to the feeling of having a shared, special experience.

Now, it’s true that the weekend was serious too.

There were serious moments of connection and communion and intention that wove the weekend together.

And, there was a light-hearted attitude and sense of not needing to have an agenda about the outcome. We held everything lightly, even when we went deep, tossing our control out the window and allowing the spiritual forces of the land to take the wheel.

In the Sacred Seasons Summer Guidebook , I talk about play as a theme of Summer. After listening to this episode though, I want to expand that to include Catherine Price’s components of flow and connection too.

Summer is so thoroughly about Fun.

It’s about light-hearted presence and joyful, silly moments. It’s about flowing with the circumstances and losing ourselves in the moment. It’s about connecting with people we love and care about and sharing moments together.

On the podcast episode, Catherine Price recommends making a list of everything that brings you into moments of play, moments of flow, and moments of connection. And then working to bring more of those components into your life.

Because you can’t choreograph true fun. It happens naturally and spontaneously when we feed it the right components.

So try it! Let me know what emerges!