I have decided that the ability to make a fool of oneself is essential to health and happiness(Of course this maybe partly because I have a high threshold for embarassment). We miss out on so much in life because we are unwilling to look silly in front of others. People who are willing to look and feel silly get to take risks and try things that other people are too embarrassed to attempt. And people who are unable to laugh at themselves often fail to laugh at all, a trait which has to be incredibly stress inducing.
So, here are some ideas from my repertoire of ways to look silly(ps, these are not good things to try in court, at the DMV or anywhere else where looking serious and sane is a must :) ) :
1) The random move - When people get grumpy at the office or I see a lot of stress around me, I randomly do a yoga pose, a push-up or some other dance move. I look horribly silly, but it never fails to break the tension and create smiles. Then we can get back to our work a little happier.
2) The concoction - Ever since I was little, I experimented with food. My diet pokes, my sweet potato with Stubbs and cheese, the ever popular purple mole sauce (don't ask, I think that there are people still mad at me for using kitchen utensils to make this). Sometimes it is AWESOME, and sometimes, there are messes that cannot reasonably be cleaned up at the end. My mom always reminds me of the time I tried to make gum by mixing pasta, sugar and water and putting it the downstairs fridge to ferment. When she unexpectedly opened the fridge one Tuesday afternoon, and Hitchcock-esque group of large black flies came out. Despite the missteps, these food items have made me interested in cooking and I do make one damned good chili concoction and an aften amazing quiche.
3) The unique sense of style - Okay, as an attorney I have had to stop this bit of silliness. It is freeing to not worry about whether my clothing matches or is in style. My favorite outfit in college and graduate school was a pair of green velour overalls, matched with a pair of blue converse sneakers and a white T-shirt. I walked around barefoot for most of my sophomore year of college and I regularly wore corn rows in my hair. After being mistaken for wearing pajamas at work one day, I realized that my sense of style no longer fit my career goals (mostly, remaining employed.) But, I completely recommend shucking style to the wind until you are at an age where you have to eat more than ramen noodles.
4) Silly Dancing - Dancing is important for the soul, and I have never let the fact that I have no rhythm stop me. I remember going to a dance party once and attempting to do moves from the Dance Dance Revolution song I just learned. People were staring, but I didn't care I was having fun and getting exercise. If you refuse to dance because you look like an idiot, you are missing out on one of the most simple pleasures in life. And how could you ever try Zumba without a dose of silliness?
5) The wrong kind of music - People in Cobain, Starbucks, Pearl Jam Seattle do not seem to share my love of old fashioned country music. There are few people here that could tell the difference between Loretta Lynn and Lucinda Williams. But because I am willing to show off my country stripes and I don't care that cowboy boots look silly in Seattle, I get to enjoy the music I love and I don't have to listen to it in a secret closet in the back of my bedroom (but wouldn't it be cool if there was a secret closet in the back of my bedroom?)
So, add some flair, do a random move, sing a silly song out of tune or do something else that makes you laugh today. I know I will ;P
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