Somewhere along the way, life got pretty serious.
It wasn’t when I became an adult, as the years of being 18, 24 and even 30 still held a sense of play or fun in them.
I feel like life became genuinely serious when we had kids. There was a shift, as now we had children. So we had to stop mucking around and be the grown-ups. We have the responsibility of raising the next generation.
Now the kids are the ones that play. They are the ones that have fun. Me, I send them out to play, and I fold clothes, I wash dishes and I tidy up.
The other day I heard someone mention her, ‘less than sensible days’. It made me sad. Because I am living in sensible days, and actually I believe I have lost something. I want to live a less sensible life. Not less responsible, but less sensible.
Sometimes we need to rediscover the freedom and laughter of those less sensible days. How do we do that? What is the key to rediscovering play and finding laughter in life?
One key is to notice the things that make you laugh. Kurt Vonnegut says,
I urge you to please notice when you are happy and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, “if this isn’t nice I don’t know what is.”
So what makes you happy? Is it flowers? Is it a YouTube video? Is it your favourite colour? Is it regular exercise?
Take the time to notice when you are happy. And when you know the things that bring you joy, foster those things. Go out of your way to creating moments of joy and laughter in your life. Listen to that song that makes you smile. Dance in the shower. Wear the red lipstick.
Also, have you noticed how joy is contagious? The sound of a toddler giggling inevitably makes you laugh.
So join in. When your kids decide to have a pillow fight, instead of shutting it down how about you grab a pillow and join them? Surprise them. Surprise yourself.
Join in spontaneous moments of joy. Dance in the kitchen. Pull funny faces. Leave crazy messages on your friend’s answer machine. Skip down the street with your children. Put down the folding. Enjoy the moment. Life is for the living. As it says in Ecclesiastes 9:
Seize life! Eat bread with gusto,
Drink wine with a robust heart.
Oh yes—God takes pleasure in your pleasure!
Dress festively every morning.
Don’t skimp on colors and scarves.
Relish life with the spouse you love
Each and every day of your precarious life.
Each day is God’s gift. It’s all you get in exchange
For the hard work of staying alive.
Make the most of each one!
Whatever turns up, grab it and do it. And heartily!
So laugh a little, live a little, be less than sensible.
Join me for the journey,
Jodie