I love this. I'm certainly of the mindset of finding time to be silly, and it's not that difficult working as an early childhood educator. Surround yourself with silly, surround yourself with people who are unabashedly themselves; even if they are three year olds. Life is not meant to be taken seriously all the time, and imagine what a better world we would love in if people weren't so afraid of what other people thought.
Recently on a visit with my 90 year old grandmother while she was in the hospital, I reminded her that she only passed down the best qualities to her children who then passed them down to their children (and subsequently, their children). The most important of these qualities is what my aunt and I lovingly refer to as "The Goofy Gene". We live life loudly and laughing when we are all together. To me, that is what life is about. Dropping the pretences and veils and just being in the moment with the people who not only embrace every part of your being, but also join in on the silliness...even in a hospital room.
Ahh you're in the PERFECT place for silliness! No one appreciates silliness more than kids. To them, it's the highest form of art, of friendship. I love that. I too have that goofy gene, and it sounds like your grandmom and I would be fast friends ;)
You are incredibly talented to move seamlessly from topic to topic within your online forums. Truly inspiring to be able to produce something for everyone to comment on. Anyway to your topic today of being “sacred silly”…
I would have you believe that if you looked up the word “cynic” ( although I personally prefer “contrarian”) in your Merriam-Webster Dictionary, you would find my photo snickering back at you. Actually, in my house the preferred resource is a Funk & Wagnalls New Standard Dictionary, as it is a lot more fun to say that name out loud as a reference... but I digress. I attribute this long standing trait to be a result of debate training in high school (which I truly enjoyed being forced to take on a counter position I did not personally agree with). And when I was an RA at my college residence hall, the champion university debate team lived on my floor (shoutout to the amazing Sutherland brothers!). I've learned that my longtime cynicism hasn't made my friends and family pay attention to me; it's mostly caused them to ignore me . However, your points about the generational lack of silliness (and harmless humor) in adult life is valid. The online-world is full of “butt-hurt” people taking issue with, well everything! And the number of usernames associated with some thin-skinned form of “Karen” or “Chad” seems strangely common. And if recent events from our late night media can attest, “free speech” can be downright entangling to some and … comedy/satire for one is tragedy/ grotesque for others. However, if you read my haiku below, there may be a silly reason for a “lack of coolness” arising in the last couple of decades. Yes, blame it on the weather. Why not?!? Dad jokes are the epitome of cynical humor.
Kevin this means the world, truly. I always wonder what people will think of what I post, if anything will resonate. I just follow my own curiosities, and hope for the best haha. Hearing it lands, means all.
Also, fun fact about me: I LOVE THE NAME FUNK AND WAGNALLS and always have. It never makes me NOT smile.
Your haiku is perfect, and weirdly maybe prescient. Perhaps, all the heat we're adding, is ruining our ability to be silly, we're all just fighting to Be cool haha. I love this.
You made me cry, again! Tyler, you made me think of the last time that I was silly and I couldn't remember. I have been looking for the joy that I used to feel all the time, and I know now, thanks to you, that I have become too serious, too tied to convention. That stops right now!! I am going to put some silliness into each day and I am going to reclaim my joy. Thank-you for reminding me, and thank-you for giving permission to be childlike again.
Ahh I'm sorry for the tears, but so thankful that I Got your beautiful brain seeking out more silliness. To hell with convention, open the floodgates and let the goofiness in! I love this.
Such a great reminder. I need to be more silly, it's something I've been working on since becoming a mom. I'm not really afraid of what others think (I used to be) but somehow I think I'm hardwired to have "serious" be my default setting. I was like that from the get-go.
Ah... like, we have this stuffed [toy] weasel on the back of our sofa. He loves bows and has 6 of them on his wrists ... and a green vine ribbon around his neck. He is very dashing, indeed.
My daughter [she's 35 now] brings him to life every now and again by any means necessary. He likes to poke me and will sometimes ask to come upstairs and sleep with me. Furthermore, he's tough, or so he thinks, and pretends to fight but is usually succumbed by a boop on the nose. He likes his belly rubbed and, above all else, he makes us smile. A lot.
We also have rules in the house ... / no thinking / no silliness / no whining / ... and, I can't remember the others as they are pretty fluid to the occasion. Our cat must follow these rules as well.
No silliness is broken all the time. And my daughter is fond of saying, "you're not thinking, are you?", as I drift away on some perfumed ether, because my thinking can turn quickly into anxiety. Usually, I'm just elsewhere.
There is so much around our house that any grownup "shouldn't" have. A light up goose [Gladys], stickers of finger monsters on a wall ... and you know those articulated wooden figures used to help sketchers? They pop up in various scenarios ... right now one is choking the other [my daughter has a dark turn to her. It's probably all the D and D she plays]. And a bust of my grandfather Don, who gets dressed up for the seasons, especially Halloween when he dawns a spooky gargoyle mask.
Oh, and BTW, I have never thought of myself as 'cool', yet everyone around me from school and beyond, thinks I am. Weird ... and go figure.
I needed this reminder. I feel deeply the same way about life in general. I ache for the years that have passed, for the world that seemed so much simpler than it is now. I am in a phase of life where I have been doing everything I can to connect to my inner child. Honestly, now that I'm in my 30s, I care a lot less what people think. I have been embracing all the nostalgia of all the things I loved as a child/teen and it has been bringing me joy. I think we need these things to survive, especially now in this horrible reality we're facing. I do tend to be more of a serious, Type A person, but I've been trying to get back to my roots of silliness. I stopped mid-newsletter and immediately wrote in my journal "Silliness should be sacred." I am going to carry this phrase with me. It feels so vital. Thank you.
I love this. I'm certainly of the mindset of finding time to be silly, and it's not that difficult working as an early childhood educator. Surround yourself with silly, surround yourself with people who are unabashedly themselves; even if they are three year olds. Life is not meant to be taken seriously all the time, and imagine what a better world we would love in if people weren't so afraid of what other people thought.
Recently on a visit with my 90 year old grandmother while she was in the hospital, I reminded her that she only passed down the best qualities to her children who then passed them down to their children (and subsequently, their children). The most important of these qualities is what my aunt and I lovingly refer to as "The Goofy Gene". We live life loudly and laughing when we are all together. To me, that is what life is about. Dropping the pretences and veils and just being in the moment with the people who not only embrace every part of your being, but also join in on the silliness...even in a hospital room.
Ahh you're in the PERFECT place for silliness! No one appreciates silliness more than kids. To them, it's the highest form of art, of friendship. I love that. I too have that goofy gene, and it sounds like your grandmom and I would be fast friends ;)
You would absolutely love her. She immigrated from Scotland in the 1950s and brings so much joy to this world.
You are incredibly talented to move seamlessly from topic to topic within your online forums. Truly inspiring to be able to produce something for everyone to comment on. Anyway to your topic today of being “sacred silly”…
I would have you believe that if you looked up the word “cynic” ( although I personally prefer “contrarian”) in your Merriam-Webster Dictionary, you would find my photo snickering back at you. Actually, in my house the preferred resource is a Funk & Wagnalls New Standard Dictionary, as it is a lot more fun to say that name out loud as a reference... but I digress. I attribute this long standing trait to be a result of debate training in high school (which I truly enjoyed being forced to take on a counter position I did not personally agree with). And when I was an RA at my college residence hall, the champion university debate team lived on my floor (shoutout to the amazing Sutherland brothers!). I've learned that my longtime cynicism hasn't made my friends and family pay attention to me; it's mostly caused them to ignore me . However, your points about the generational lack of silliness (and harmless humor) in adult life is valid. The online-world is full of “butt-hurt” people taking issue with, well everything! And the number of usernames associated with some thin-skinned form of “Karen” or “Chad” seems strangely common. And if recent events from our late night media can attest, “free speech” can be downright entangling to some and … comedy/satire for one is tragedy/ grotesque for others. However, if you read my haiku below, there may be a silly reason for a “lack of coolness” arising in the last couple of decades. Yes, blame it on the weather. Why not?!? Dad jokes are the epitome of cynical humor.
I’ve found the reason
“Silly” is no longer “cool”.
It’s Global Warming!
Kevin this means the world, truly. I always wonder what people will think of what I post, if anything will resonate. I just follow my own curiosities, and hope for the best haha. Hearing it lands, means all.
Also, fun fact about me: I LOVE THE NAME FUNK AND WAGNALLS and always have. It never makes me NOT smile.
Your haiku is perfect, and weirdly maybe prescient. Perhaps, all the heat we're adding, is ruining our ability to be silly, we're all just fighting to Be cool haha. I love this.
You made me cry, again! Tyler, you made me think of the last time that I was silly and I couldn't remember. I have been looking for the joy that I used to feel all the time, and I know now, thanks to you, that I have become too serious, too tied to convention. That stops right now!! I am going to put some silliness into each day and I am going to reclaim my joy. Thank-you for reminding me, and thank-you for giving permission to be childlike again.
Ahh I'm sorry for the tears, but so thankful that I Got your beautiful brain seeking out more silliness. To hell with convention, open the floodgates and let the goofiness in! I love this.
I love this one 💕💕💕being silly is so important.
SO VITAL. :) So glad you agree!
Such a great reminder. I need to be more silly, it's something I've been working on since becoming a mom. I'm not really afraid of what others think (I used to be) but somehow I think I'm hardwired to have "serious" be my default setting. I was like that from the get-go.
Here's to more silliness, more joy, more MIRTH. 🥰
That's such an astute, and important, understanding. If we can fight against how we hardwire ourselves, we can find the goofy light. :)
This put a huge smile on my face! :)
My work here, is done. :) Haha. I am so glad for the smile!
❤️❤️❤️
Ah... like, we have this stuffed [toy] weasel on the back of our sofa. He loves bows and has 6 of them on his wrists ... and a green vine ribbon around his neck. He is very dashing, indeed.
My daughter [she's 35 now] brings him to life every now and again by any means necessary. He likes to poke me and will sometimes ask to come upstairs and sleep with me. Furthermore, he's tough, or so he thinks, and pretends to fight but is usually succumbed by a boop on the nose. He likes his belly rubbed and, above all else, he makes us smile. A lot.
We also have rules in the house ... / no thinking / no silliness / no whining / ... and, I can't remember the others as they are pretty fluid to the occasion. Our cat must follow these rules as well.
No silliness is broken all the time. And my daughter is fond of saying, "you're not thinking, are you?", as I drift away on some perfumed ether, because my thinking can turn quickly into anxiety. Usually, I'm just elsewhere.
There is so much around our house that any grownup "shouldn't" have. A light up goose [Gladys], stickers of finger monsters on a wall ... and you know those articulated wooden figures used to help sketchers? They pop up in various scenarios ... right now one is choking the other [my daughter has a dark turn to her. It's probably all the D and D she plays]. And a bust of my grandfather Don, who gets dressed up for the seasons, especially Halloween when he dawns a spooky gargoyle mask.
Oh, and BTW, I have never thought of myself as 'cool', yet everyone around me from school and beyond, thinks I am. Weird ... and go figure.
Trust me, YOU ARE COOL. ALl this proves it. ALL of it.
Thank you, Tyler <3
I needed this reminder. I feel deeply the same way about life in general. I ache for the years that have passed, for the world that seemed so much simpler than it is now. I am in a phase of life where I have been doing everything I can to connect to my inner child. Honestly, now that I'm in my 30s, I care a lot less what people think. I have been embracing all the nostalgia of all the things I loved as a child/teen and it has been bringing me joy. I think we need these things to survive, especially now in this horrible reality we're facing. I do tend to be more of a serious, Type A person, but I've been trying to get back to my roots of silliness. I stopped mid-newsletter and immediately wrote in my journal "Silliness should be sacred." I am going to carry this phrase with me. It feels so vital. Thank you.
You're so very welcome, and it feels so good to reach someone that just Gets it, that understands, that wants to hold it close as I do. Thank YOU.