Be Inspired Every Day

My son Tristen walking around wearing “Mama Shoos”.

When small children are around, it is hard to get through a day without doing something silly. For that, I am grateful!

With all of the important business I have to deal with each day, it would be easy for me to maintain a serious attitude. By default, I am a practically minded person. I have to work at maintaining the habit of taking breaks, having fun or being silly. But, when I see Tristen’s little head bobbing up and down as he runs passed my desk, it is nearly impossible to resist the temptation to get down on the floor and play.

Children are not a prerequisite to silliness though. Every once in a while, when my wife and I are on a roll of one too many serious conversations, I give in to the urge to throw my arms around her and initiate a spontaneous dance of sorts.

Few things in life are so important as to rule out silliness as an option. Whether in a crowd, a business meeting, an uncomfortably silent dinner, silliness is an easy way to brighten up your mood and the moods of others, especially children.

Avoid using silliness to evade issues you don’t want to deal with or to get “one-up” on someone else with practical jokes. Do it for fun and relief.

What is great about silliness is that it requires no skill, no planning and no purpose. Some people are great at spontaneous comedy. I, for one, am no comedian, but I can make people laugh (sometimes just one person – myself), by doing something out of context and out of character when least expected.

Playing does not have to stop when we grow up!

Here are some silly ideas:

Vampire Tristen with a mouthful of can’y.

• Rake your leaves into a pile and invite your family and neighbors to jump in the pile of leaves with you.
• Bury yourself in the pile of leaves, call your spouse or neighbor from your cell phone to visit you and jump out of the pile when they arrive.
• Instead of walking around a rain puddle, jump in it.
• Answer the cell phone of your significant other and mimic his or her voice very poorly.
• Throw a ball for your dog and race her to get it.
• Put on your Halloween costume when it is not Halloween and join your family for dinner as if it were a completely normal occasion.
• Play with children whenever you can. Learning to be silly is one of the many ways children teach us inspiration.

How many can you add to the list?

If you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy these:

• 7 Ways to Have Fun Every Day and
• 20 Things I learned From My Toddler.