The second tier of fun

Readers of Haley Nahman’s (very excellent) Maybe Baby may already be familiar with a concept a recent guest writer shared: the three tiers of fun.

According to this framework, fun falls into three categories:

• Tier 1: You do something, and it is fun.

• Tier 2: You do something, and it’s not fun at the time, but becomes fun in retrospect.

• Tier 3: You do something, and it is neither fun at the time nor fun in retrospect, but it is fun(ny) to tell other people about later.

Dating as a widow? That’s some Tier 3 fun, y’all. Boy, did I have stories!

(Truthfully, I should probably spend more time reflecting on why I enjoy Tier 3 fun so much. I’ve always loved a good I-wanted-to-die story.)

But today, I’m here to talk about Tier 2 fun — the kind that only becomes enjoyable once you’ve made it to the other side.

A good amount of this month fell into that category for me. Looking back, the past few weeks feel full of joy and growth. That wasn’t always obvious in the moment.

I suppose that’s yet another reason reflection matters. Sometimes glimmers only reveal themselves after the fact.

Before we get into those highlights — and before I drop the dreaded paywall — I wanted to share an update: I’m taking June off from the newsletter.

I’ll be back on June 30 for another glimmers post, then return to my regular Tuesday schedule after that. I’ve taken summer breaks before, and this one feels especially necessary. Becca is taking a break from editing, my child will begin kindergarten in a few short months, and I’m juggling one too many projects (per usual).