The Art of Being Silly

Last week I met up with a friend for a long-overdue coffee date. We sat there for two hours talking about all sorts of different things going on in our lives: family, boys (or lack thereof), faith, you name it. There was one topic one might not necessarily expect, though - we both agreed that lately, we haven't had enough silliness in our lives.

You all know what I mean. There's having a good time and enjoying what you're doing, and then there's being plain old silly: acting like a bit of an idiot, throwing all your cares out the window, and laughing hysterically at nothing at all. Basically, being a big kid. Like those times in college when we went on a secret mission to deliver burnt cupcakes, played practical jokes on each other, and had a feather fight with a busted pillow. What happened to things like that? Why had life gotten so...serious?

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Long story short, we both felt like we needed more silliness in our lives. It's a sad realization when you feel like you've fallen into the humdrum of a daily adult life and haven't been goofy enough, then have no idea how you're going to get back into you silly ways. Luckily, I had the help of a few old friends to jumpstart me back into the game.

This past weekend I headed up to Ohio with a bunch of my friends from high school for our friend Josh's wedding. Not only was it good to be with everyone again, but my high school friends have a way of making me laugh like no one else can. They're the ones that are just flat out goofy and get me to laugh hysterically for no particular reason at all. It's pretty awesome. Combine that overall atmosphere with a few more funny people (my friends' significant others), a road trip, and 8 people crammed into one hotel room, and you have a recipe for gloriously wonderful mayhem.

So tell me...when was the last time you asked yourself (and announced to the car), "Why is that truck's butt so weird? We should pull up and ask the driver why his butt looks weird." Or the last time you argued about whether or not mandating a Despicable Me minion for every person is a form of slavery? And have you ever been proposed to with a RING POP? At a WEDDING?! Because I HAVE. That's right. Be jealous.

We all need fun and silly moments like that. And not just once in a blue moon, we need them on a regular basis. Sometimes, though, there are so many things demanding our attention that we can forget about living out our inner child. No matter what it is, it seems like everything in life requires some sort of responsibility and dedication. Some of those things are annoying adult worries that we're officially stuck with forever (like work, bills, taxes, relationship problems, bugs in your kitchen); others are more enjoyable and have a goal of improving your life (like eating healthier, working out, spending time on your hobbies [and discovering what those hobbies are], meeting new people, growing in your faith). All of these are things we need to focus on and are good to give time to in our lives, but every once in a while we need to remember to kick back and throw all cares out the window.

It's funny, though, as I've been writing this post I've been thinking, "Okay, now how can I get more silly into my life?" - basically trying to plan it out and subsequently completely defeating the point. A lot of times being silly is part of being spontaneous, and we just have to embrace it! I think that being silly isn't so much about planning (unless you're plotting an epic practical joke) but more so about being open to it at any given moment. You never know, you could walk around the corner and find yourself in the middle of a spontaneous dance party. So kick back, relax, don't take things so seriously, and remember how much fun it is to sing along with "The Mysterious Ticking Noise":