Question: What is fun?

I was going to post this yesterday, but I was too grouchy. I found myself wandering around a Regatta with my family in my new home town feeling invisible, irritable and bored.

This isn’t usually the way you’re supposed to feel on a major national holiday.

Which brings me to the whole fun thing. We went to this event because we thought it would be fun. Other people think it’s fun, and we’re people, so why not?

But overpaying for food that made half the family sick does not a fun day make. Especially when said day consisted of small children complaining when we arrived, demanding food, drink, then immediately more drink, then treats, then a balloon. It was bratastic! They didn’t like the loud boat races and they couldn’t see past the crowd to see the frisbeeing dogs. It was one kvetch after another. And not just from the kids, sadly. (And even though frisbee-catching dogs are adorable, it seemed kind of cruel the way the "contestants" were kept locked up in a van, barking their little lungs out while waiting for their turn.) (This is why I don't like zoos and stupid pet tricks. It doesn't only demean the animal, people.)

Sure, we’re new in town, so we don’t know anyone we could have met there, which I’m sure would have made it much more fun.

The events and food all sounded good on paper, but the actual event? Not so much.

I think it comes down to exhaustion. We have spent the last three weeks reinventing ourselves and starting to feather our nest (though we don’t actually have a nest yet, but you know, our metaphorical nest) (Okay, that analogy sucks).

Anyway, we were all so tired and overstimulated that a proper holiday would have consisted of eating in, watching a movie and ordering pizza. Why didn’t we do that? We did what we thought we should do because other people think it’s fun.

And the definition of fun is pretty loosey-goosey if you ask me. One woman’s fun is another woman’s nightmare. So it stands to reason that a one-size-fits-all approach to fun doesn’t cut the mustard. I guess we all have to learn to define our own fun, as opposed to asking society to spell it out for us.

It’s WAY more work that way, but in the end, doing what you want instead of what you think you should do because everyone else is, usually is fun.