Feeling Good

Most of the time I don’t have much fun. The rest of the time I don’t have any fun at all. -Woody Allen

Thinking back over the last few years, I recalled a week I went to see a friend perform at a comedy club which was a step outside of my normal range of activities for that time in my life. I did this for a couple of reasons, one of which was a purposeful effort on my part to move myself to a place where I was not taking myself so seriously. My mother’s long term significant other once said that when he met me I was “12 going on 40” and that my overly serious nature played a big part in that perception of me.

So as my thought process had been changing, I came to the realization that I did, in fact, take myself far too seriously and, more importantly, there was no need to do so. True, there is something to be said for a healthy dose of maturity and the wisdom necessary to choose the time and place for one’s play, but it had become abundantly clear to me that play, humor and laughter are essential components that comprise the larger concept of joy. Since joy was, and is, what I seek, then it stands to reason that I must play, I must laugh, and I must find the humor in my life. Furthermore, it is completely up to me to find and execute these things as I, and I alone, control what I think about and by extension attract those things into my life.

So how do we know if we need to “lighten up” and laugh a little more? Pay attention to the signals around you. You will see a pattern develop that all but screams exactly what you need to hear. I previously had an email list to send messages like this and at the time one friend jokingly told me these messages should contain more sarcasm while another friend encouraged me to go to the previously mentioned comedy club. These and many other smaller signals all pointed me in the direction that I needed to go.

Today I challenge you to take a very careful look around and see what signals you are getting. Once you see them, connect the dots and follow the line. It’s that simple. You just have to be open and willing to see it and then do what you need to do.

In closing, I would once again like to extend a heartfelt thanks to my friend who encouraged me to attend the comedy club.

Oh, and what about my other friend who wanted more sarcasm in my messages? To him, I said that his presence in my life had indeed had a truly profound impact on me. For it was with each exchange we had, that I was moved, almost to tears, by the overwhelming desire to be lonesome!