3 types of fun

… and the rose-colored glasses of nostalgia

Last week I took a client call from the airport (my goodness, did I miss integrating life and work and travel—truly!). We were chatting about how I was headed back from a trip when someone on the call asked if I’d had fun. 

“Yes, lots of fun,” I said. 

“What kind of fun?” she replied. “There’s more than one type of fun. A fun scale, even.”

A fun scale? I’d never heard of it. And so she explained the three types of fun. 

Wine tasting is pure type I fun

Type I fun

Type I fun is enjoyable while it’s happening. You never think twice about whether you’re having fun. You’re in the moment. Life is good.

E.g., tasting wine at a vineyard, watching the sun set, wandering through a botanical garden, reading a particularly good book. 

Type II fun

Type II fun is fun in retrospect—but miserable while it’s happening. 

You know, like running a marathon. Or any distance running, really. I’m always glad to have gone for a run. I very rarely feel happy while doing it. 

I would also apply type II fun to activities that are terrifying. For me, that includes anything that involves heights—like going to the top of the Empire State Building or riding a rollercoaster. I typically can’t wait for that “fun” to be over—but I’m glad to have done it. Once I’m safely back on the ground. 

Type III fun 

Type III fun is not fun at all. It’s hardly bearable, in fact. And when it’s over, you swear you’ll never do it again. 

As I write this, I want to recategorize running a marathon to type III, but alas—just as my running friends predicted—nostalgia has erased the pain (evident as by my calling it type II fun above).

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Of course, what’s fun to me is highly subjective. I think some of my running friends believe marathons are type I fun. Meanwhile, wandering a botanical garden or reading a book (my tried-and-true type I fun) might sound awful to you. 

Fun is personal—and even our own definitions of it change with time. So don’t worry if your fun doesn’t look the same as the next person’s. Or something that you used to find fun doesn’t bring you the same joy. (We’ve all changed since the pandemic. It’s okay to stop or start enjoying something.)

Whatever the type, whatever the fun, give yourself the grace to let your definitions change. You might surprise yourself with what you consider “fun” next. 

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Supplemental reading: My last newsletter, ICYMI. Plus, my tips for planning an Oyster Day—a day filled with activities and simple pleasures that bring you joy.

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