Ben Asks; Are You Havin’ Any Fun?

I'll ask you one question

Are you havin’ any fun?

What you getting out of living?

I must preface this question - asked in this instance in Elaine Stritch’s 1956 version of the classic song Are You Havin’ Any Fun? - and third instalment of ‘Ben Asks’ with a clear understanding of our current realities.

Our lives are being shaped by conflict, erratic governmental decisions, cost of living crisis’, dictator-adjacent presidents, genocides, and a choking climate for trans people. I am not ignoring or negating any of this. However, it is worth remembering that we have to live whilst this is happening around us.

So again I ask: Are you havin’ any fun?

Fun can mean so many things. It is important to find the things that feel fun to you.

Right now, for me, it is this outfit, a ballerina preppy mashup in shoes that are beyond impractical. Adorning your body with an outfit that makes you feel great can create such a buzz for your day.

The first three months of 2026, I delved into the Star Wars franchise - something I’ve never watched before - and that brought me so much joy. I am a devoted fan of The Mandalorian, and I shall be sitting this May for Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu.

Whimsy is also something that I look to for fun, take for example this silly Snoopy collectable, inexpensive and harmless. Yet, it makes me smile every time I see it!

Having fun, finding joy, being passionate, and embracing whimsy are not ignoring what is happening in the cyclone of shit that is the world in 2026. Instead, it is acknowledging that we have to live, in spite of it all, defiantly so.

To close out this edition of Ben Asks, I’ll hand over to Ms. Stritch;

Life is full of ifs and buts

Even the squirrels save and save

And what have they got? Nuts!

Better have a little fun …