Few weeks ago I attended yet another’s friend’s 50th birthday party. It was well planned, the food was delicious and most of all, everyone had a great time reconnecting with each other. As supportive friends, we had fun at the party and remembered how fun was important in our lives.

There were great emotional speeches – reminiscing the many years that had gone past, life challenges and triumphs that we faced together, and with all those “mountains” that we conquered we could still see the fun and “sunshine” through it all.

I could still remember not so long ago, my friends and I just came out of university; the whole world was out there for us to explore. We felt invincible; nothing was impossible and we were ready to conquer the world.

However with a blink of an eye, we are all approaching the 50s in droves. So now looking back, did we conquer the world?

But more importantly, did we have fun while “conquering” the world?

What happened to all those years?

We settled into jobs, raised families, making life changing decisions every day while making effort and time to re-connect with friends and extended families. Over the years, most of us had our fair share of life challenges with work, finances and families, but we did not forget to reach out for support while shedding tears, having fun and good laughs in between.

From the 50th birthday gathering and speeches, there were good and fond memories shared. The events that made the friendship strengthen over time, the memories that made us feel special and valued, and the memories that held the friendships through both tough times and fun times.

So what did we learn from the messages and sentiment from the birthday party?

The core message is: are you having FUN in your life?

There will always be challenges in our lives. Don’t forget to reach out to your families and friends, help each other through the hurdles of lives and don’t forget to inject FUN in between all those challenges! Fun means caring as well.

How can you inject fun in your friends’ lives?

  • Inject some laughter into your friends’ lives while they go through the challenges.
  • Send them a “cheer you up” card, text or encouraging message.
  • Provide a sympathetic ear and be supportive by not being judgmental.
  • Phone now and then and it will be much appreciated as it shows you care.
  • Look at the challenge from a different angle and see the funny part of it as well.
  • If time and distance permit, celebrate each other’s milestones together.

Don’t forget to inject FUN in your life as time really does fly and waits for no one. We go through challenges in life; however, that does not mean we can’t have FUN while conquering the challenges at the same time.

Don’t forget to re-connect to yourself and the people closest to you, but most of all, don’t forget to have FUN!

Have a fun connected day with your family.