Everyone has a different perspective towards life. And everyone’s idea of fun is different. Fun for me is enjoying life, breathing the fresh air in the morning, going out for a walk and rejoicing in nature’s glory, celebrating birthdays and other parties, watching an amusing movie, doing something impulsively and savour these experiences for a lifetime. Coming up with a list of most fun moments for me was not easy because I take pleasure in anything life throws at me or I choose to do. But here are the top 10 moments I think are the most fun in one’s life:-
10: FESTIVALS!
Be it Holi, Diwali, Eid or Christmas, we Indians celebrate them all. The main reason for this is that there is a national holiday on each of the festivals. This is due to the incredible religious diversity in our country. We get an off on Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Jain and Buddhist festivals which is why we rejoice all of them. Special things are done in different festivals and that makes each and every one of them a fiesta! Everyone buy new clothes and dress up for each occasion differently. The markets are full of diverse things to buy. Sweets, dry fruits and gifts are exchanged. Candles and diyas are lit and water balloons are thrown at random strangers. Gulaal is thrown at friends and family and trees are decorated with goodies. All festivities are really a joyful occurrence.
9: PLAYING HOOKY!
Be it school, college or office, playing the hooky is the ultimate experience. Even if you take a day off and sit and watch plain old TV or just get some sleep, bunking a class or a workday makes you feel more alive. Catching a first day, first show at a PVR by calling in sick at your workplace is a ‘must-do’! Submitting a week long application on medical grounds and taking leave to party at your friend’s house everyday is ‘the dream’! Wonderful memories are made when you decide to go on a road-trip instead of college because the weather is just too good to sit in class! When you use the excuse of a ‘family emergency’ to watch a cricket or football match at home or at the stadium, you don’t feel that sad even when your favourite team loses! And the fun of playing Houdini i.e. disappearing (or slipping out unnoticed) and not getting caught from your class or cabin is an extraordinary feeling. Basically, what I am trying to say is that taking a day off from your busy schedule of office or an educational class with a little white lie is a fun thing to do and everyone knows it!
8: DRIVING!
Starting from the first time you actually drive your bicycle without any support, driving becomes an exciting activity. Learning how to drive a 4-wheeler or 2-wheeler is a fun-filled experience. Driving in general is fun depending on the place. For e.g. the Yamuna expressway is an awesome road to drive on. And because speed kills, but thrills, watching the speedometer race, your heart starts racing too! Have you ever driven a bike at top speed in the rain? Even though it is very, very dangerous, it is pure fun! The rain hitting your face feels like a thousand pinpricks, your eyes watering due to the wind striking your face, the salty taste of your tears mixing with the rain and the wind blowing your hair wildly is an electrifying experience one cannot put into words.
7: TRAVEL!
Whether you take a tour with your family to a quaint place or go backpacking across Europe alone, travelling is very enjoyable. Trekking in any mountainous region, hiking across the moors, camping in the woods, taking boat rides on a lake, partying in Goa or just visiting a new place counts in having fun. Not only your destination but the journey is pleasurable too! Personally I feel that train journeys are the best. You get to interact with new people, watch a river flow under the bridge, cross many mountains, go through tunnels and admire the scenic beauty of the jungles or forests the train passes through. You can see constellations when crossing a desert, you can spot cattle grazing when passing a village and you can create thousands of fresh memories just by travelling in a train. But a road trip has its charms too. You get to drink chai at roadside stalls and eat at roadside dhabas. Travelling takes your mind off the everyday tensions in life. You get to be what you want to be. Every journey can be a spiritual journey too.
6: PARKS!
Whether it is Adventure Island or Disneyland, amusement parks and theme parks are super-fun. People of all ages can enjoy most of the rides. Nothing beats the thrill of riding a rollercoaster or sliding down the water slide. The ‘haunted house’, ‘love boat’, ‘my fair lady ‘and ‘merry-go-round’ are some of the rides that get our hearts pumping faster. If you are a child, an amusement park is a place that you never want to leave. And if you have a child, you would give anything to see that expression of awe, wonder and enjoyment on your child’s face every day. When your partner suddenly holds your hand on a ride, you love that touch. Fun is redefined through such theme parks in today’s world.
5: PARTY!
The occasion for a party may differ, but the fun quotient is about the same. It could be a birthday party, wedding anniversary, an after exam party, a ‘I got a job’ party, ‘my first salary’ party, housewarming party, a house party for no reason, pool party, rain dance party, baby shower party or a bachelor/ bachelorette party. You could have drinks or no drinks, but a party is a party! We are conditioned to enjoy them. Dancing and karaoke are the 2 best events. And even if you are not invited to one, gate crashing a party is super duper fun too! Sneaking out of your house in the middle of the night for a night out with friends is counted in partying and is tremendous.
4: ADVENTURE SPORTS!
Being an adrenaline junkie, the best moment of my life so far has been when I did parasailing in Goa. I was one with the sky and the sea. Paragliding, bungee jumping, scuba diving, sky diving, wind surfing, wave jumping, rafting, rappelling, rock climbing, mountaineering, wat
er skiing, snow skiing, snowboarding, dirt biking, hang gliding, ice climbing, free diving, free flying, canoeing and kayaking are some of the items on my ‘things to do’ list. Extreme sports a.k.a. adventure sports are an adrenaline-fest. You are scared to death but you are the most alive at the same time. You are screaming for dear life and laughing hysterically, simultaneously. You may become speechless and introspective after such an experience. The ‘before’, ‘during’ and ‘after’ any of these things are all exuberant moments.
3: WEDDING!
When a person close to you like your brother or sister or your best friend is getting married, you are deliriously delighted. Watching and participating in the Indian wedding rituals is super exciting. And dressing up for a marriage is very much fun. Looking at the flowers, decorations, guests, family members, friends, the bride and the groom, everything evokes a great, big smile. Different parts of India have dissimilar attires and customs which make every wedding is more glorified than the other and consequently, more fun. Even if you have not been invited to a wedding, you could also gate crash and fill your tummy and run! That is fun too (wink!).
2: BIRTH!
Watching a new life begin is mesmerising as it connects you to Life itself! Regardless of the ‘life’ being related to you or not i.e. whether it is a sibling, relative or any other, the simple experience of holding a newborn in your arms can be one of the most bewitching moments of your life.Your pet too can inundate your life by ushering in abundance of joy through birth of its own kind such as a bunch of puppies or kittens or chicks and so on. It is nature’s miracle as life is a wonderful gift from God and each life is precious since none can be replicated.
1: THE FIRST TIME
A ‘first’ is generally very special to all. The first crush, first date, first boyfriend/ girlfriend, first kiss, first day at school, first friend in class, first bike ride, first pet, first sleepover, first dance, first day in college, first job, first salary, first child, first grandchild and so on. Even coming first in class or in a race falls under this category. All of these ‘first times’ give us immense joy. These ‘first times’ also include the first barefeet walk on sand at a beach or an early morning walk on dewy grass, the first swim in an ocean, the first drop of rain on your skin or the first heartthrob for a loved one! We overlook so many little things in our lives. Fun and enjoyment can be found in a subtle way like glancing at a flower in bloom.