Have you ever had a moment where you’re hysterically laughing, tears running down your face, sides aching, and you realise the thing you’re laughing at really isn’t funny at all, but it feels like such a relief to laugh you can’t stop?
Here’s the thing, when we become adults we seem to stop handing out shiny stickers for doing things that are silly, fun, or playful and life becomes a constant string of serious business.
Even when we’re offered the chance to be spontaneous or embrace a moment of joy we decline for fear we’ll look foolish or childish or worst of all that we feel there are better (more serious) ways we could (or should) be spending our precious time.
This month my friend and colleague Erin Faehmann from Lead With Play co-facilitated one of my Small and Family Business workshops. She reminded me that lightness, play, and fun are vital in helping us release the build-up of emotions and feelings we carry around with us as adult humans.
Since then I’ve been making a conscious effort to embrace the playful things that come my way, even when they make me look or feel silly…
A spontaneous swim in the freezing ocean, squealing like a kid as each wave crashed over me (though I could have done without my prescription sunnies ending up in a watery grave)
- Singing to 80’s bangers, out loud in the car on the way home from facilitating a workshop (pretty sure that made the day of the people driving next to me too)
- The joy in the challenge of balancing a peacock feather on my hand along with the wonder of the acrobatic manoeuvres as part Dan Aubin’s key note at Newday Summit
- Bantering and getting a touch too competitive at our annual Finska competition (unfortunately no bling for my trophy cabinet this year)
- Connecting with family and new friends over food, dancing and hilarious speeches celebrating my nephew’s wedding (remember when you were in your 30’s and every weekend was a wedding)
- And yes, laughing until I was weeping and wheezing because I didn’t understand the rules of a game my friends were trying to teach me, and then kicking off again every time someone looked at me (and like I said right up top it wasn’t that funny – but oh the sweet relief of uncontrolled laughter)
- I would love to know what moments of play, laughter, joy, and connection you grab and connect with as they come past you in the coming week.
Go on, I dare you!
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