Warning: This could quickly turn into a “How To Scare Someone Away In One or Two Sentences” depending on who you talk to. Use with caution. Carry on.
It’s a trap they don’t even know they’re setting for you.
“What do you like to do for fun?”
You’ve been asked this dozens of times, yet, like an idiot, you’re, once again, helplessly unprepared. You sit with your mouth half-open like a stupefied goldfish, while you grasp for any memory of fun from your cerebral archives.
“Uh…I like…to hike.”
And whatever you say, you obviously must be THE BEST at it.
“You DO?! Have you hiked the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim? Have you backpacked the Uintahs? You’re so brave.”
“Oh…uh…no. I mostly just take walks in the dirt. Eating trail mix.”
So I’ve learned to say things that are a bit mundane to avoid that trap.
“I like to pretend I’m on a cooking show whenever I make Ramen Noodles. I put the seasoning in a separate dish and everything. Sometimes I even pre-cook a separate pack of ramen, so my viewers don’t have to wait 3 minutes to see the end result.”
Other things I do for fun:
- I get my kicks secretly reorganizing the silverware drawer at my friends’ homes.
- I like to return online purchases in strange packaging. This iPhone case was the wrong color, here’s a huge diaper box.
- I like to go to the thrift store and buy those karate outfits. I hang them in my house where I think a robber may be snooping to let him know that he is robbing from someone who frequents the thrift store looking for karate outfits.