I am a firm believer in being silly whenever you get the chance. Apparently, it doesn’t matter if I’m stone sober, who I’m with-my kids or someone else’s, or where I am. I’m just as happy to crack out some ridiculousness regardless of the circumstances. I have a good reason: doing something silly, unexpected and spontaneous makes me smile and laugh! Smiling and laughing make me feel good, and when I feel good, I am good to myself. The most powerful thoughts that exist about me are my own. I am my own biggest influence. So if there is something I can do to put a smile on my face, and maybe someone around me, oh yes! I am going to try. I definitely have a few favorite ridiculous behaviors:
Stilettto’s and jammies: the perfect way to get household chores done!
1. High heels & jammies. I love ridiculous shoes. And sparkly things. Even better if I can combine the two. That I rarely have occasion to wear such ridiculous shoes doesn’t stop me from having them.
High heels with glitter ON them? Party time!
This winter has been particularly cold, snowy and filled with school snow-days and late-starts. One morning I decided to protest this by putting on a truly ridiculous pair of hot pink stilettos with sculpted heels. Still in my pajamas. I proceeded to have my coffee, surf Facebook, vacuum, and do laundry while teetering around in those crazy shoes. My hair wasn’t washed, I’m pretty sure my teeth weren’t brushed, but my feet were smokin’ hot while I got some chores done. I have twice seen women positively light up-wiggle, giggle, and fall a little in love with their own legs- just from some silly spikes! And that? Is crazy fun! I am sure that those chicas smiled a little more at themselves on those days just thinking about how they looked. Ooh! And there is a bonus to this ridiculousness. After about an hour or so, or whatever point at which you’ve lost sensation in your feet, it is practically orgasmic to take those babies off and walk around barefoot!
2. Glitter microphones. I keep my glitter mics on my kitchen counter. With my utensils. For emergencies! Sometimes it happens that I, or someone around me, needs to burst out in song. I generally prefer the music to be loud and my singing to be UN-amplified. (On occasion I get confused and use a real microphone. Apologies if you were there.) One of my favorite times to work the mic is “rock & roll breakfast.” We crank up the music and dance around the kitchen. Sometimes my kids dance and sing with me, sometimes they are disgusted. Either way, I have fun. The bonus here is that singing with a glitter mic almost always requires dancing. Love some accidental calorie burn!
That’s odd. There are a LOT of pictures of me with glitter mics…
3. Dessert for dinner. On a rare occasion, like once a year, I makes something really special for dessert. Or, one of us is just craving something really, really sinful. (Yes, it’s usually me. But I respect the needs of the children, too.) It almost always involves a brownie, ice cream, chocolate chips, hot fudge, and whipped cream; you get the idea. I have to wonder though, is it a good idea to say “before you eat this ridiculously high calorie conglomeration, please fill your belly with these calories first.” Don’t judge. I’m not advocating this on a regular basis. I’m just saying, as a mom, we always have to enforce the “right decisions.” “Good choices.” “Healthy behaviors.” It feels so good to do something so bad sometimes! And at those moments when my kids realize that yes, I am going to let them have the whipped cream straight from the can (don’t judge!), I am the mother of the year. Or the hour. Buzzkill warning: I have usually pre-planned this binge into my workout for the day or have made a plan to deal with it the very next day.
4. Cartwheels! Oh my gosh I LOVE cartwheels! You can not do a cartwheel and not smile. I don’t care how pathetic your cartwheel is. You will smile. I try to enlist others to participate in these antics, and I can almost always convince my daughter, niece or one of their friends to join me. On occasion I find an adult willing to try it out. But it’s okay if no one is interested, I’m prepared to go it alone! Beaches, state parks, national monuments-all perfectly acceptable locations!
There seems to be a lot of photographic evidence of my love for cartwheels, too.
5. Copycat your kids. Whatever you see them doing, try it. This has resulted in my riding bikes, jumping on a trampoline, playing in the ocean, tubing, skipping, hula-hooping, etc. I have often been the one grown-up most likely to head off into the waves with the kids or jump up and dance, regardless of my weight. And it is great fun to skip in the parking lot while coming and going from school and sports events. When it comes to movement, it doesn’t matter what you do, but it really helps if it makes you smile. Bonus points if you make the people around you smile. Double bonus if you inspire them to get up and join you. Jackpot? If you succeed in embarrassing your kids. That is when you know you’ve done it well.
Whatever your signature silliness is, I hope you find one. I hope you use it as often as you can, and share it with everyone and anyone! Don’t wait until it’s a good day, or you’ve been “on track”, or you’re in the “right place”. Do it now, for you, for your own smile. And please share it with me-I am always on the lookout for a new way to be silly!
She Believed She Could So She Did! 