The Best Type of Fun

While watching my nephew’s YouTube report of his family’s vacation to a resort in the Bahamas my wife Michelle asked me “why don’t we do vacations like that?”  I had to tell her it was because we only do Type II fun.

I did not come up with the fun classification system, but I love it.  The system divides fun into three categories:

• Type I Fun: Fun in the moment, not particularly memorable.
• Type II Fun: Not very fun in the moment, very memorable.
• Type III Fun: Fun in the moment, regrettably memorable.

Just about all the great fun is Type II fun, or at least Type I fun with some Type II spice.  Occasionally, I like pure Type I fun, for instance a day at the beach.  But if I am honest, I get bored with Type I fun in about two days.  Hopefully, most of my Type III fun is behind me now that I go to bed by 10 pm.   

Type II fun is the best because it is the most memorable, and the joy of the memories is worth the pain and frustration that comes in the moment of Type II fun.  There needs to be some element of challenge or adventure or uncomfortableness to really have a great fun memory.  A Type II fun adventure requires a plan that is a little (sometimes a lot) beyond the comfortable skill levels of the participants.  

The key distinction between Type II fun and no fun is the word “almost.”  Nobody likes an actual disaster.  But an almost disaster is epic.  Adventures involving bears, a raft full of camping gear going down a Class VI canyon, things catching on fire, marching through ice at 3 am on messed up legs – these are all great fun as long as everyone makes it home with life and limb.  It can be a fine needle to thread.

Type II fun also involves some element of work, of effort.  This can be physical effort, like a long day of biking, mental effort like mile 82 of a 100 mile race, or spiritual effort, like not going insane on the 18^th day of a road trip camping with four kids. 

But great memories require great effort.

The most Type II fun of Type II fun has been introducing my kids to appreciate Type II fun.  It is a work in progress, but they are coming along.

Anyway, bravo to all the tough ones out there going out and having some Type II fun.