Yes, I know another blog post series that we as a site post from time to time…and the first post is today. But just hear me out. Not literally, but just have a read through. If this post series doesn’t resonate with you…well, still give it a chance. And while my goal is to write Fun Fridays on a regular basis (not sure about Food Fridays or even Futuristic Fridays, both these posts are up in limbo at the moment), I do realise that realistically, I may not post as much as I want to…and I have to be ok with that. Because as this blog post series suggests, this is a time for me to post, about, you guessed it, having fun. Because frankly, as I look around at people at the place I work, I notice one thing- most people aren’t enjoying life as much as they should. Sure, that is a grave assumption, and many who read this statement might be up in arms about what I just said. But it’s true. People have somehow lost the spark and innocence that were once in all of us. And what I sadly see is this- people going about their mundane lives and basking themselves in busyness, hurrying and rushing around, all in the name of creating a world for the future, at the expense of enjoying it right now. Sure we can claim that what we’re doing is for the future generations, but if we’re miserable now, how’s that going to be as setting an example to the future of how they ought to live? The future and what we have to do to steer the course of circumstances that could either make or break the world of tomorrow is of utmost importance, but we really do need to have fun in the process.

So this is where my new post series comes in. Fun Fridays is a space where we can all just have fun, and share our fun filled memories with each other. Each new post will dwell on at least one or two new fun filled moments of the past as we all delve deep into nostalgia and realise that sometimes, to enjoy life is to declutter, from the busyness, as we re-align our priorities and understand that amassing titles and prestige does not equate to eroding relationships with others alongside it. So…I’ll go first.

You know when board games were a thing? Not just a thing, but a past-time that the whole family looks forward to. Now we as a nation are just scrambling at every moment to our iPhones, iPads, Nintendoes, Pikimin or even Pokemon, maybe even Netflix-ing…you get the picture. Rarely you have every person at the dinner table (because really, what’s the dinner table nowadays? We all know that the new kind of dinner table is eating out or even eating in front of the TV), and when you do, it’s just squabbling and bickering. But I can remember a time when it wasn’t like that. Sure there was bickering and squabbling but it was of a different kind. Board games brought up the values that sadly we all lack- comradery, teamwork, having the ability to communicate, all the things that we as a human race seem to lack in this day and age.

So what’s my favourite board game? Well Monopoly of course. Closely followed by RISK, Scrabble, Cluedo, Trivial Pursuit, even chess. So why is it so hard for us to leave the tablet behind, and pick up the board game that excited us many years ago? Not sure. Maybe our values have changed. Or maybe they are forever skewed beyond repair. But what I do know is this- there was a time where Friday nights were fun for everyone, not just the person who has control of the TV remote. When was the last time we enjoyed a dinner without looking at the clock every few seconds? Too long, I surmise.

This is what I propose- this weekend maybe realign your plans, instead of watching something on TV, pick your favourite board game, and just enjoy it. No matter whether you’re winning or losing, just enjoy it for the only sake- that we’re with family and that we’re probably not going to have another opportunity to be in the same room as every other person who is currently playing that game with you to the frequency that you would like. A convoluted sentence? Yes and no. To have fun is to be free from worry. Worry about life’s curveballs that’ll always be there whether we worry about them or not. Maybe, just maybe, playing a board game will inject the fun needed for us to realise that sometimes, the problems we think are like a mountain are in fact very miniscule.

Now I’m writing this on a Friday. And what am I going to do today? Maybe, just maybe I’ll crack open the good old Monopoly (or chess, depending on who I can convince to play with me) and just enjoy the company of family for a change. Having fun, even if it is just once a week, can hopefully alter our mood from despondent to purposeful, as we trek through this dangerous journey called life.

So what is your favourite board game? What fond memories of your childhood can you associate with this board game? What do you think board games can do to a family that watching TV can’t? Board games are in some ways much more healing than watching the tube, and throughout the week, I’ll observe the results of swapping TV for board games, and then I’ll come back next week to post in the comments sections of these changes. I hope you will all do the same.

Now, off to check out which board games to wipe the dust off and ‘christen’ tonight, and play tonight. Hope you can all do the same? See you all next week. Til then!