FUN!

    A newsletter I subscribe to recommended a TED talk delivered by the science journalist Katherine Price, discussing the importance of having fun. Ms. Price was obviously having a great deal of fun as she spoke. I found this charming, since so many lecturers, myself included, can be overly serious instead of enjoying giving the presentation.

    According to Ms. Price, fun is not about specific activities described as fun. The ingredients of fun are playfulness, connection with other people, and flow. Flow, in psychology, means being in the moment, thoroughly engaged in whatever you are doing.

    As I listened to the talk, I was reminded of a moment of fun that I had with my mother. In the final years of her life, she was having trouble getting around. Sometimes she would yield to common sense and use a wheelchair, but she hated it.

    On one of those occasions, she had a doctor’s appointment towards the end of the clinic’s working hours. As I wheeled her down deserted hallways, free of people and obstructions, I decided that it would be fun to see how fast we could go. As I started to speed up, she started to laugh. Since she did not protest, I pushed harder, laughing myself. We went faster and faster. As we roared around a corner, someone coming the other direction saw us zipping along laughing, and she started to laugh too.

    It was a small moment, and unfortunately my mother passed away a few years later, so I can’t ask her what she remembers. But I am grateful for this memory, especially since it was during a time when there were plenty of serious conversations and situations to navigate.

    For this New Year, I want to put into practice Ms. Price’s tips on how to have more fun.