Is life supposed to be fun?

I think life is supposed to be fun.

Just for kicks, I looked up the word “fun” on dictionary.com and found that the most common meaning is “a source of enjoyment, amusement, or pleasure.” That seems to fit in well with my plan to have a fun life. Who wouldn’t want their life to be a source of enjoyment, amusement, and pleasure?

I am not a profoundly serious person. I can take care of business well enough, but I also have instances of uncontrollable laughter when something strikes me as funny. This can cause problems. For example, I cannot say the word “booger” without laughing. The word is not meant to be serious. But there is no other word to use, so there it is. I try to use it sparingly.

I’m getting off track here. I seem to do that more often lately. One of the benefits of getting older is the chance to blame forgetfulness on something other than being spacey, which I have been accused of. But don’t let that fool you, I am plenty smart enough when I need to be.

While I was at dictionary.com, which is one of my favorite sites, (I love words, you know) I noticed that the word of the day was “hardscrabble.” Hardscrabble’s definition is “Yielding a bare or meager living with great labor or difficulty.” That would be quite the opposite of fun.

When I was a child I once told my mother that I wanted to have fun. I remember the day clearly when she told me that everything in life was not going to be fun, was not supposed to be fun. Why I remember that day, and exactly where I was standing in the house, and exactly how I felt, I do not know, but I do remember it. And I also remember vowing to myself that my life indeed would be fun, no matter what anyone else said.

I’m sure sometimes my mother cringes when she sees me mention her in my columns, waiting for the ball to drop on whatever she might have done as a parent. (Sorry, Mom, but this comes with the territory. You did a good job, really.)

There has to be a middle ground between constant amusement and a hardscrabble life. As a child I thought it was necessary to choose one or the other. Now I know that enjoyment comes in many forms.

I have dreams of things I want to do, and like a child I believe in those dreams. My fun has become less a matter of mirth, and more a matter of satisfaction that I have done what I wanted with my life. Dreaming is enjoyable, but living the dream is something that makes for a good life.

At some point many adults give up on their dreams. How sad. But new dreams are always possible, and they give a spark that keeps youthful enthusiasm available for folks of any age.

I’ve gone through periods of a hardscrabble life, and for a while it seems that trudging along is part of life and I had better accept it. Then I wake up from the nightmare and realize that it’s all in my head, that struggling is a sign that change is needed, and that I need to trade the nightmare for a dream that will get me where I want to go.

We all need dreams. We can’t get anywhere without them, and the inspiration they give us keeps us from having that hardscrabble life that chains us to defeat.

(Written February 25, 2007)