Stop Being So Silly

“Stop being so silly.” Those may not have been the exact words THEY used, but the message was clear. I wasn’t serious enough to be taken seriously.

I laughed inappropriately – and apparently too much.

I found joy in the journey – even when we were stuck in traffic.

I smiled – especially when I saw another heart hurting.

THEY did not approve.

But I know that hope is the only way through no matter what I’m facing.

But I know that joy is the only way to stand strong through the storms.

But I know that smiling is sometimes the only fuel for the heart hurting beyond words.

I know, deep down in my knower, but THEY keep demanding.

STOP

BEING

SO

SILLY

And without people around me that will laugh, and joke, and smile, and dance, and embrace the silly, I give in to the demands THEY make.

Once the THEY suck silly away, despair and discouragement rush in to fill the void.

It is OKAY to Laugh

“Does she always laugh so much?” A neighbor stopped my dad one afternoon to ask the question. She’d been watching my husband and me doing our He Said/She Said show on YouTube and had to know if it was real.

My dad snickered and nodded. “Yes!”

Maybe I got a little of it from him.

I love to laugh . . . and now that I know my husband hates that song from Mary Poppins, I love to sing it and it makes me laugh even more.

Just this morning, as I was saying my prayers, I fumbled over one of the promises of God and in my fumbling, I laughed. OUT LOUD. And then my laughing at myself made me think of how people look at me when I laugh and I laughed even more.

Yes. I really do laugh that much. And it is that ability to enjoy the journey that has kept me from losing my mind when circumstances run amuck.

Finding the Silly

The world wants me to be serious. It does all it can to remind me that serious is expected (and sometimes demanded). The more it shouts and shoves, the harder it is for me to find the silly.

And the more serious I follow, the darker it seems to get. Suddenly, I find that I’m too tired to try, too exhausted to encourage, and too serious to soar with hope (hope NEEDS silly).

How do you find silly?

Dad jokes

I find a good “bad” joke is a great location for discovering silly. And if I’m home alone, I tell myself jokes.

Dancing

I’m not sure serious can stay on the dance floor.

Ditty

Yep – sing, sing a song. (and if you are anywhere near my husband, sing “I Love to Laugh” – just thinking about it makes me smile).

And if you really want to take your silly to the next level, find others that dare to lean into their silly side.

Never give up your silly side. No matter what the world says about the importance of “growing up” or “getting serious,” hold tight to the silly. It is the lightness of silly that gives your heart the wings to fly into your BIG DREAMS (and gives your mind the willingness to dream them in the first place).

I’m using silly to help me stay focused and flexible in the New Year. The Focused Flexbility process gives me room to laugh, to enjoy the journey, and to continue pursuing the BIG DREAM goals one little bit at a time (and sometimes the little bit is all I accomplish). Get started today with the Focused Flexibility Cheat Sheet: CLICK HERE to get yours.