Just For Fun...

In my opinion, people don't have enough fun.  And by fun I don't mean doing something bad/stupid/immature for a temporary thrill like the world defines as being fun.  My definition of fun is doing something morally permissible, slightly crazy, and that makes you feel alive.  I was thinking of this when I was playing frisbee with my friends on St. Patrick's Day (actually I hadn't officially started playing yet, I was mainly trying to dodge the *THREE* frisbees that were flying in all directions); even though I was doing nothing but avoiding de-capitation, I was having some serious fun.

A few days later my little brother and I biked to Vespers with some friends...I hadn't biked that far in years, it was all uphill on the way home (including one seemingly never-ending hill that went nearly straight up), it was getting dark, and my friend wasn't doing much better than I was.  Our brothers were far ahead of us and we were still dragging our bikes up that blasted hill, we could hardly breathe, and yet we were laughing and having fun.  On the internet I am constantly seeing phrases like "Just do it", "YOLO", and "Cuz it's fun", and I wonder how many of these people have ever experienced real fun.  I think there would be a huge decrease of stupid actions in our world if some of these people would try sledding down a steep curvy hill in the middle of a blizzard, building a fort out of brush in the woods, or tying a smoke bomb to the tail feathers of a chicken once in awhile, just to mention a few ideas.  

What really gets me is when girls and young ladies seem to believe the only permissible fun for them to have cannot exist beyond novel reading, tea drinking, or their embroidery.  These are all lovely things, but to be honest, they're not really fun.  I have known girls like this who believe any physical exertion is masculine and un-ladylike. When I meet people like this, I just want to scream "OUR LORD DID NOT CREATE US TO BE CHINA DOLLS!!!" He created us to be His warriors and ministers to the world, to be useful members of His Mystical Body, the Holy Catholic Church.  He has given us wonderful bodies to live in and he wants us to take care of them.  One of the best ways to do this is be fit and strong. You don't have to work out every day, or lift weights, just go outside and play for a little while! Not only does this make you physically stronger, it puts you in a better mood.  And don't feel like because you're a girl you can't play with the boys (disclaimer; I am by no means suggesting that you go roughhouse with your brothers and their friends...be active and play, but in a ladylike and feminine manner.  And if the game does start getting too rough, learn to gracefully step aside).  One of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen was a couple of novices from our convent having a snowball fight in full habit with my two brothers (and winning, actually).

There are some games which ladies shouldn't join in, like football for example, but there are many fun, active, outdoor games that are perfectly alright to play.  And you don't have to be good at it (personally, I couldn't catch a frisbee to save my life =)); sometimes the most  fun you have comes from laughing at yourself.  On the other hand, life is not all about having fun.  There is a time and place for everything.  I always found it interesting that in the rule of St. Benedict (and most other religious orders, to the best of my knowledge) there is a specific time set aside for recreation, a.k.a. fun.  Our monks go for a long walk together every Thursday, and on the other days of the week they do anything from play soccer, have nerf gun fights (a Christmas gift from our nuns =)), to snowball fights, to hosting plays for Father Abbot and any visitors staying with them.  I always laugh when I hear people say religious don't have fun and are always serious and morbid.  Our Benedictine monks are pretty cloistered, and they certainly know how to be serious and contemplative, but at the same time they certainly know how to have fun.  Life is a precious gift, and God wants us to live it joyfully, even through the trials and sorrows we can never escape.

What Do You Do For Fun?