The Will Ferrell movie, "Elf" is a holiday staple in our house, we usually watch it several times over the Christmas season, but the quotes go on long after the Christmas tree is down. Most popular - "Smiling's my favorite!" Which them becomes, "Coffee's my favorite!" "Sunshine's my favorite!" Well, you get the idea.
I got thinking about this because my daughter is home from college on spring break, and I never laugh as much as I do when she's around.
I find that when left to my own devices, I don't smile or laugh nearly as much.
We went on an unsuccessful adventure yesterday trying to find her some cross-stitch fabric because as she said, "I'm living like a 70-year-old woman," and she wanted to cross stitch some pandas - doesn't every 22-year-old?
We struck out at every store we could think of in our area, and for some reason every failed attempt just made us laugh even more.
By the time we got to a store called, "The Town Ho," yeah, you can only imagine the jokes that ensued from that, we were ridiculously silly. We stopped at a small market to buy a lottery ticket (because I am nothing if not a great financial planner) and we were so silly that I was afraid people would think I was some awful mother who gets high with her daughter. That's just the way we get when we're together.
I think there's something about being with my daughter that allows me to shrug off my day-to-day seriousness and ambition, just for a short while, that lets this silliness out. It's not something I am able to tap into very often on my own. At 22 my daughter doesn't have the same pressures and responsibilities in her life that I, as her mother have. She's about to graduate from college, so that is probably going to change a bit as she goes into a responsible job and live away from a college dorm.
I always promise myself after spending time with her that I am going to remember that feeling of pure silliness, but I think you kind of need a partner in crime to help get you there. I chuckle to myself and think, "that's what she said," when I hear openings for that punchline, but it's not the same when it's not shared. Just a glance, knowing what the other is thinking is sometimes all it takes.
Maybe the lesson for all us grown-ups to take away from all of this, is realizing how far we let ourselves get from being silly. A natural silliness un-enhanced by drugs or alcohol, an ability to tap into that side of us that is there, if we just let it out.
It's not surprising that we get bogged down - just watching the daily news is enough to smack the silly out of any of us. But I for one refuse to let it all get me down, I am careful about how much negativity I expose myself to, and I make sure to try to see the funny in everyday situations.
And I make sure to remind myself quite often that smiling truly is my favorite.
1 comment:
Yes, unfortunately, old people aren’t very conducive to silliness. I’m always trying to joke with my grandmothers, both in their mid-80s now, but one of them is too deaf, and the other too demented follow a conversation. There’s not a lot of comedy left in their lives, and the things that happen to them that are funny are disgusting.
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