#2 The root of all shenanigans

Although most of this series is going to be a practical guide to making yourself merry, I want to take a brief moment to take a good look at silliness (I know, leave it to me to make a serious post about silliness!) I don’t want to sit here and bore you, but I believe it’s important because it will help you write and correct your own map to positivity. I believe that anything else I say beyond this point will fall apart if we don’t understand some of our inner workings. This is the reason I am writing this post. 

All lightheartedness can be found in the heart of the child. There’s a reason that all the fun shenanigans are often labeled “childish,” it’s because it all stems from our inner kid! I grew up around people who believed that this part of them was wrong, foolish, and “immature.” I mean, yes, it’s immature! But what’s the problem with that? To do what you ought to 100% of the time is not a very good life at all! And although there is a time and place for it, there is nothing truly mature about being uptight all of the time. 

You see, true maturity is the acceptance of the idea that no one is truly perfect. I would even go as far as saying that the most mature of us are those who have not only accepted that they’re a work in progress, but they go so far as  to embrace it! There’s something beautiful about the wonder, the excitement, and yes, even the silliness, that comes with being a child. I believe this is why Jesus places a particular value on children. It’s not simply about the blind faith (although, that is highly important,) but the essence of human vitality-the real “sauce” of life, lies within the heart of the child. 

That’s why I say we embrace it: it’s what makes life worth living! The safe world of should-be’s and ought-to’s is the dead-end swamp of stagnancy. It’s lifeless, soulless, and flat-out boring. We need to nurture our ability to bend the bars of expectations. Laughter is the result of rules being resisted in ways that do no lasting damage. The nerf wars in the office, drawing silly faces on someone who’s fast asleep, prank calls to random numbers, they’re all things we shouldn’t be doing, but bring joy to us anyway! But there’s a key component that I believe makes the whole thing work: safety. 

Safety is the launching ground of every good laugh. Even if it’s the illusion of safety, every good laugh launches from the belief that we are not going to get in trouble when we should. We make faces at people behind their backs because they would get mad if we did it while they were watching. We say bizarre things to strangers, not knowing how they will react. Even the movies we watch are funny because we could never get away with saying or doing those things in the real world. Without safety, those same scenarios launch fear. It’s safety that makes the whole thing work. 

Without the belief that we aren’t in danger, we become stuck in survivor-mode, doing our best to do whatever we must to stay alive. Humor is our way of fighting back against that and seeing that we are actually in less danger than we thought. And even if we are in danger, humor takes us out of the headspace of our fight-or-flight response just enough to be able to help us think clearly. It helps us to see that that thing we thought was a major threat was actually no more dangerous than a little flea. To master humor is to master safety. 

And by master humor, I don’t mean that everyone should become the next comedian. No, what I have in mind is far more modest. It’s far simpler than that. What I mean to do is to set you up to explore your own sense of humor, developing the ability to take control of the process so that you have the power to turn the tables on the stress as it starts to choke you out. I want to give you some quick-fixes, some tangible ways to stop fear’s momentum dead in its tracks, helping you to quickly pivot and go in a different direction. These are things that have worked for me. I am going to dig into these tips so you can understand them and hopefully gain a mastery over humor for yourself. As we go, I think we will find that this goes well beyond just provoking yourself to laugh. I think we will begin to explore the secrets of a joyful heart and a contented spirit. 

Take some time today to rate your childishness. Place it on a 1-10 scale, with 1 being a boring ol’ adult, and 10 being someone who may need to stop goofing off so much. Start brainstorming ideas of how you can begin to shift that number, adjusting it to where it needs to be. Go about your daily life and take note of when you laugh, when you are happy, and when life seems like it’s going well for you. Notice the little things that make your day: the same cup of coffee, new opportunities, spending time with your family. Whatever makes your day better is good fuel to begin noticing so you can take hold of it later. I pray this post brings you to a deeper understanding of positivity, and helps you cultivate a happier life. Cherish your inner child, because the King of kings told us to treat them well!

Until next time

May Peace be your guide.