Good Times Get You Through.

Dreamin’ – Hot Air Balloon Rides by stop.down

This past weekend a beloved family member passed away. While we knew she was ill since last January, it was still a tough process to go through. For me, many of my happier memories are what helped me get through the tough times.

Often we think of fun and joy as frivolous and silly. We may think there are more important things, like our job, our house, our children and our bodies. While these things are important, they mean little to nothing if not enjoyed.

If all we did was labor at work, toil at home, or slave on the treadmill, life would be a boring, dull wasteland. If not what we do in life, but how we do it that makes life worthwhile. Seeing someone die enforces this lesson like nothing else can.

Joy, laughter, and interesting, exciting activities are what make life good. Thinking back to all the happy times we had made the sadness of her loss easier to bear. It’s a vibrant reminder that life is in the little things. Those things we do each and every day.

Do you sing while you wash the dishes? Do you stargaze as you take out the trash? Do you share a joke or two each day at work? These are all opportunities to add fun and joy to your day.

Planning your fun is an important step in producing festive souvenirs of the past. Too often we think that fun is something that just happens. We think if we go to the amusement park, our joy will be unbounded. Then we arrive and find long lines or blistering heat and our expectations are dashed.

Fun doesn’t have to be all or nothing. A family gathering of pizza and board games on Friday night can be spontaneous and silly. A dinner out with friends can be an adventure when you experiment with different cultures and tastes. Fun comes in millions of shapes and forms, there’s something out there for everyone.

Happy memories and good times can be wonderful when they occur, but their true value is in remembered joy. When life throws us into turmoil, it can be those bright, shining recollections of more joyous moments that glimmer with a beacon of hope. Perhaps if those cheerful, fortunate times happened before, they can happen again.

The key is realizing that now is the time to build those indelible moments that will stand the test of time. Don’t let bills or financial worries keep you from your fun. A day at the park or beach can be just as playful as a stay at an amusement park. A cookie exchange where each person brings their own favorite can be a tasty and fun way to exchange recipes and have a good time.

There is no perfect way to have fun. Have an indoor picnic while you watch the snow fall outside. Have a movie theme night and play only Jack Nicholson or only comedy movies. Have a garden party and make delicious dishes from the vegetables. Whatever hobby or game you enjoy can make for a fantastic starting point to fun. And you can start this very day. Let go and enjoy – it’s what life is all about!

Humor Heals

Happy Fish by PixelFixer

As many of you know, for the past several weeks I’ve been away attending to a family emergency. We returned home for a short week and then headed back after receiving a call that the family member had been hospitalized once again.

During this time we have been scared, confused, frustrated, tired, and overwrought. After feeling guilty for having fun and taking time for myself during this difficult time, I have recently realized anew how important your sense of humor is for your health.

Have you ever laughed so hard you cried? Well, what about when you’ve cried your eyes out until someone’s joke made you laugh uncontrollably? Don’t you instantly feel better? Doesn’t the laughter feel invigorating and the deep movements of a good belly laugh give you more oxygen and energy? It’s happened to me on several different occasions (to my vast relief and enjoyment.)

During challenging times such as illness and disease, financial stress or other serious problems, laughter and humor sometimes feel inappropriate. However, laughter and humor are wonderful coping tools during the most unpleasant and exhausting days. It can bring a smile to your face, relieve tension, and put things in a new perspective.

Reading the comics, hearing a joke or watching a funny TV show or movie may be the only time you feel free to enjoy yourself without guilt. But as in all things "this too shall pass." Using your sense of humor to help you see past the current doom and gloom can produce ideas and solutions you would have never thought of in your otherwise negative state of mind.

From my own personal experience I find that having a background of using humor regularly helps you to use it more easily during stressful times. Your sense of humor can not only aid you in relaxing and relieving tension, but can also help those around you feel more at ease. This comes more naturally to some of us than others. I admit that even after years of learning and practicing humor and allowing myself to be silly, I still initially held it back. I mistakenly thought it would be considered rude or offensive.

However, once I started laughing and smiling more, so did the other people around me. It allowed everyone to unwind, and was a gateway to talking about topics that were sensitive in nature. I heartily recommend to all my readers that you start practicing your humor skills today. You never know when they might be needed.

Update on me.

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to let you all know that I'm in the middle of a family emergency and will be unable to post for the next two weeks. I hope you will all enjoy my prior posts and visit sites on my blogroll for some fun and entertainment. Come back in a few weeks for some new posts. Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!