Laugh at your mistakes

Laugh at your mistakes....clearly, I have laughed a lot throughout the years! I am a firm believer that you have to be able to laugh at yourself before you can ever laugh at anyone else. I have a habit of pointing out my errors and poor judgment and turning them into elongated stories that I often times find humorous and hope the listeners do, also! I have so many favorite times where I messed up so bad and could do nothing but laugh about it.

One of my favorite mistakes took place a few winters ago. I was on my winter break and we had about a dozen guests come ski at our ski house at Holiday Valley, New York. A few times during the trip the topic of our return home came up. The group couldn't believe that I had to go back to school on the Monday after New Years.  They all had off until Tuesday. That Sunday I hurried everyone out of the house and back to Cleveland as I had to get home and get ready to go back to work the next day..... So, there I was sitting in an empty parking lot Monday morning looking at a very dark and clearly closed school building.  Apparently, I also did not have to return to work until Tuesday. I must have laughed for 10 minutes in between calling and texting all of the skiers and my family to let them know about my mistake!

This does take me to another funny mistake I made while skiing. (I told you I had a number of stories!). My friend and I were at that same ski resort many years earlier and while going up the lift, we saw a sign, "Open Restaurant and Bar."  Being a bit parched and hungry we perused the top of the mountain but to no avail. Back on the lift, we reread the sign and decided to take a right off of the lift and peruse that area. Well, this continued a few times until we finally asked the lift attendant where the "open restaurant and bar" were. He was confused at first until we explained we saw the sign going up the lift. Next thing I know, the attendant is laughing hysterically, eventually getting out that the sign says, "Open restraint bar" a directive necessary for proper lift exiting. Haven't stopped laughing at that mistake!!!

We all make them. Mistakes that is. It's ok to laugh at them! It's ok to teach your children that mistakes happen and not to get uptight about them. As long as you learn from them, it's ok. Live and Learn. Don't just Live.  Laugh!

Laugh in the pool

Well the dog days of summer are gone, but the memories still linger! When I am asked how my summer was or what I did over my summer vacation, I immediately smile. My memories are fond and full of fun times, mainly at our pool.

It became an expected weekly event to have pool parties on specific days of the week based on everyone else's work schedule. Mondays, Fridays and Sundays were a weekly given! Ages ranged from 3 to, well, over 3.... Often times it was hard to separate who the kids were and who the adults were. We had chicken fights, swim contests and diving contests. Laughter ensued in all activities whether organized or not!

My older sister, with whom I swam with all of my life, even participated in the diving events for the first time ever! We laughed heartily watching her attempt various acrobatic stunts off of the diving board with little to no grace! We were in stitches watching all of the girls, adults and kids, entertaining us on the diving board while the boys judged their attempts. My father and uncle often times stopped by just to hang out and would laugh heartily at the lighthearted fun going on in the pool. It made their day!

I even had an old friend come over who has been in odd sorts over the years. To see her laughing at the pool really meant a lot to me! The pool can bring out the best in anyone and help people forget their woos.Friends and family members going through divorce, depression, financial losses, etc., seemed to be in good spirits when around our pool!

The children really help make the experience fun!  They have no inhibitions and forget their woos and worries rather quickly. They are resilient and fun-loving and seem to always be looking for ways to keep themselves laugh! They teach us to be young at heart and to laugh at the silly, simple and fun things. We need to never lose our ability to laugh at the little things and the fun times!!!

Laugh at Clowns

I don't remember when exactly it began, but as a child I  collected clowns: ceramics, paintings, music boxes and stuffed dolls.  My mother bought them for me for birthdays and Christmas. My room was covered with clowns. But oddly, my mother feared them. She found clowns creepy and disturbing and most importantly, sad. Once when I was a child I told her that when I grew up I wanted to be a clown and perform in the circus. My mother informed me that clowns lived a very sad life and that their smile was simply painted on. Deep down, they were lonely and sad and away from their families. Kinda ruined that dream real quick. 

However, years later, when I was studying to be a counselor we were asked to write down who we admired and why. I wrote about clowns. I said I admired them because they were able to maintain smiles and fun even though, according to my mother, they were really sad and lonely. I felt, at the time, that was a real sense of resiliency and because of that, I admired clowns.  I learned through my professor's lesson that often times the person we admire and the characteristics for which we admire them becomes a part of us and who we try to emulate in life. I could certainly relate as that was a somewhat turbulent time in my life, though none of my colleagues or students would ever have known it. I came to school with a smile on my face and was always trying to be the class clown...even as the teacher. 

Though I stopped collecting clowns once I became an adult, I still kept a few of the clowns my mother gave me. At times when I am feeling a bit nostalgic or melancholy, I turn to the clown on my nightstand and listen to the music box melody. It reminds me to smile and laugh despite whatever has me saddened at the moment. After all, the clowns did it for centuries. I certainly can do it!

If your children aren't creeped out by clowns like my mother was, maybe a little clown decoration in their room can be a subtle reminder to keep on smiling and laughing despite the challenges and obstacles they are facing. 

Laugh making snow angels

It’s one of my wintertime favorites: Making snow angels! I would stop, drop and flap my wings as soon as enough snow covered the lawn! It was usually spontaneous and always fun! The angel would last until the next snowfall and then I would do it again! Though my snow angel making has slowed down with age, it still has not left me!

One of my favorite adult memories was when I was on winter break during college and we had a huge snow fall. My father, sisters who were young teens at the time, and I all decided to go out and play in the snow. It began with a wild snow fight that my father started. You know, the man whose lifetime motto is, “You are never too old to enjoy a happy childhood!” We teamed up and had a snow fight battle running up and down the sidewalk and all over the snow-covered yards. Loud laughter and lighthearted screams ensued which is probably why the neighbors across the street peered out of their front door window. They were trying to be inconspicuous, but we saw them! My father decided this would be a good time to go make snow angels in their yard. We ran across the street, held hands standing together, and dropped back into the fresh snow. Our arms and legs started flailing as we created our snow angels for the nosey neighbors. When we were done, we simply ran back home like it was just another typical day in the neighborhood…laughing all the way!

As an older adult, I have still enjoyed an occasional snow angel making event. It seemed like a good idea one weekend when we had friends in our hot tub. The dare was to run out of the hot tub, drop onto the snow and create a snow angel! Not the brightest idea given that our skin didn’t take to kindly to the abrupt temperature change, but it sure was fun! It is still a fond memory to my friends and I!

You know, you really are never too old to enjoy a happy childhood! Get out there with your kids and make snow angels this winter! Be spontaneous and just run onto the snow covered grass and drop down into snow angel mode! Show your kids your silly and whimsical side! Show them it is ok to have fun, especially in the spur of a moment!

Laugh while you dance

I love to dance. I even think I am a good dancer, though some may think I resemble Elaine from Seinfeld! I played percussion as a kid, so I really think I have the beat! I have a few favorite local bands that I like to see and end up dancing most of the evening when I see them perform!  Dancing is such a great way to express ourselves, have fun with our friends, relieve some stress and enjoy the moment!

My husband and I took dance lessons at Springvale a few years ago. We were eventually  put in the special education section of the class. Both of us wanted to lead. He felt since he was the man, and a bit larger than me, he should lead. I felt that since I had rhythm, I should lead. It is not easy trying to lead someone twice your size! We laughed heartily at our awkwardness and our inability to follow directions. I don’t think our instructor found any humor in our silly antics! We eventually quit due to our clear ineptness, though  we still treasure the funny memories!!

I had a great evening celebrating my pastor’s birthday at his house one Friday night. He’s a musically talented man who enjoys a variety of classic music! After dinner, we spent most of the evening dancing and singing to great classics like Meatloaf and Queen. Every time I think of that evening I laugh. We had such a good time just dancing the night away! We were all relatively new to one another having known each other for only a few months to a couple of years, but you would have thought we knew each other for a lifetime they way we danced our hearts out that evening!

Dancing is such a fun and inexpensive activity to do with your children. You can form great memories while dancing with your children at home any time! I’ve enjoyed watching “Dancing with the Stars” with my nieces! We giggled incessantly at the fun dance moves the people use on that show! So, the next time there’s a rainy day, you’re feeling the blues or the kids aren’t getting along, put on the old LP player and crank out some fun dance tunes! Let your children freely express themselves, relieve stress, giggle endlessly and expound their vent up energy!! It will be a memory that will have you laughing for years!!!!

Laugh splashing in puddles

If you live in Cleveland, then you probably started feeling like you were living in Seattle this past year! We had a heck of a lot of rain this  year! I usually don't recall weather patterns, but this past year I remember, possibly because my golf game was a bit restricted and limited as a result. I decided early on to approach each day assuming that it was going to be rainy, cool and dreary. This way if the weather was actually sunny and warm, well, BONUS!!!!! Yippeeee!!!! It's all in the attitude!

After all, it's only rain. There are still a lot of things you can do in the rain. It rained over our Labor day party, but the kids still swam in the pool. Heck, they were wet already! Why not! My sister, Anne, is just an awesome mother of 4 kids! She's that mom who juggles it all while maintaining a great smile and healthy lifestyle! One week in the Spring it had rained so much that her large back yard flooded. Her kids and she know how to make the best out of situations, so they took a large float from their pool, suited up in rain gear and paddled around the back yard like they were on a lake. The picture she posted of it was classic! Another time her street flooded and the city had it closed to traffic while trying to fix the sewers. Her kids took advantage of having their usually busy street  all to themselves and raced around on their bikes and scooters, in their rain gear, enjoying the rain and splashing in the puddles! Again, the pictures she posted were awesome! Those kids sure do know how to enjoy puddles large and small and make the best of rainy weather!

It's ok to send your kids out in the rain. I'm not a doctor, but I'm pretty sure most people don't get "P-neumonia" (as my mother used to call it) from splashing around in puddles. Let them splash and jump and laugh in those puddles! The children will dry. The clothes will get clean.  The memories will last forever!

Laugh playing board games

 

Board games were such a  great source of family entertainment and bonding. We spent a lot of time playing such games as Chutes and Ladders and Candy Land and moved up to Monopoly, Sorry, Life, Dominoes and UNO when we were a little older. The competition was healthy and in good fun. The strategizing helped us to learn problem solving at a young age. It was a great way to get the whole family to spend quality time with one another. Of course, this was at a time long ago even before Atari existed! 

It is nice to see that despite the video craze now, my sisters still engage their children in board games. It seemed to be a favorite past-time for my sister, Peggy's kids for many years. They played more strategic games like Battleship and Backgammon. Somehow they were able to balance board games with the popular video games and join as a family to play them. I am please also to see my two younger sisters and their younger children also engaged in such games as "match game" and children's Monopoly.

As adults, my family still enjoys board games, though ones like Scattergories, Balderdash, Taboo, Outburst, Pictionary and What's Yours Like? We tend to forget the board and rules and make it as interactive as possible using as much of the contents of the game that we can. This has become a great way to get the family together during the holidays or just enjoy one another during a party. Whenever we play games, laughter certainly ensues!

Interactive board game playing is important for your child's development. They learn to take turns, work towards a goal, lose, win, count, read and get along with others. They learn patience, sharing, giving, helping, guiding, encouraging and competing. The benefits of playing with their family is insurmountable. This is a great time that the family can forget all of the outside stressors and just enjoy one another's company. Family members of all ages can engage in board game playing!  As my father often says, "You are never too old to enjoy a happy childhood!"

Laugh in the pool

I am loving this summer thanks in part to all of the swim parties at my house. The kids just make it so much fun! Their enthusiasm, laughter and playfulness is so contagious. They have no inhibitions and all the energy in the world! They will step out of the pool soley to refuel with snacks and then they are right back at it. Games like "Fish out of water" and "Marco Polo" are played along with silly diving board contests. The kids really make it a blast when we are in the pool.

Somehow, somewhere in our lives we find ourselves sometimes just lounging in the pool, which is certainly healthy and good for the soul. I, myself, like to have both: lounge time and play time! I float around on a couple of noodles while engaging in play with the kids. We can learn a lot from the kids in the pools.

Do you make time to play in a pool when weather permits? Do you play with your kids in the pool? Do you show them ways to enjoy the pool, laugh and have a good time while swimming? The pool can be a great source of good fun and lots of laughter!

LAUGH!

Laugh! Laugh often! Laugh at silly things! Watch a comedy before you go to bed or before you start your day. Read a joke each day (you can have them sent to your email or can buy a 365 day calendar with funny daily whims). I have one on my desk that I read and laugh to daily! Just laugh! Laughing releases endorphins which are mood enhancers!

No matter how tough, depressing or upsetting life might be right now, you have to find something to laugh about. During the 8 years that my mother was sick, my three sisters and I would try to stay amused and humored through some of the darkest times. Yes, we were sad and scared and upset with the circumstances, but they were out of our control, so humor was one way of getting through it. We had a Brittany Spears song that reminded us of our mother's circumstances. Any time one of us would hear the song, we would call a sibling and play it to them or  their voicemail and just laugh. It was one way in which we coped. We could cry and laugh at the same time.

When my mother finally passed away my family was at the back of the church ready to process in with her casket. The priest blessed my mother with a sign of the cross with the holy water. Unfortunately, in doing so, he soaked my one sister. Mistakenly, he then handed the water to that sister who made the sign of the cross and inadvertently soaked another sister. And so this went on all the way around the casket with all four daughters and my father soaking each other with the holy water, and of course, laughing. Even the priests were laughing. One stepped away and was doubled over trying to gain his composure.  My mother had a good sense of humor so we were sure she was laughing in spirit with us.

Somehow, in the darkest moments, you have to find something that makes you laugh! Laughter can help you get through the tough times and help you to be resilient to the obstacles you are facing!