Grow up and be a kid again

A few blocks away from our house lives a family with kids. The kids are often outside playing with this thing in their front yard.

The game is using these little plastic hammers to whack these little plastic thingies into holes.

That’s it. And seemingly they can stand there whacking plastic sticks for hourse.

Could you imagine YOURSELF doing that?

Kids have an ability to self-entertain doing almost anything.

When my brother was a baby (he’s 26 now) he used to take off his socks... throw them on the ground... then laugh hysterically.

I used to try to catch the water coming out of the faucet. I was fascinated by it.

And... there is nothing less fascinating about any of these things right now.

Why not laugh hysterically every time you take your socks off?

I find that I can force myself to think anything is funny. And it actually becomes funny. The more I laugh, the funnier it becomes.

A few years ago me and a friend were at a house party. We found the TV remote and discovered a large orange button sticking out from its side. We looked at it, then at each other, and then we laughed. Kind of like small children do when they think something is funny that everyone else thinks is just plain and ordinary.

My fifth grade teacher was the most boring person I have ever met. She was 65 years old and was retiring that same year. And her entire demeanor was in accordance with that fact. Like she’s just doing the least possible to make it through the day. Like she’s torturing herself awaiting that final day of school. Then, she would be free so she could be bored at home instead.

I think that, even if you are 65 years old, you can be childlike. I’ve never met a 65-year-old person who is childlike.

No matter how much you think your life sucks, I promise that you could have 10 times more fun every day just by being fascinated by stuff most people take for granted.

Try it for a day.

A final thought: You have probably heard about the neurological-physiological connection that exists... that means that if you put on a smile, even a fake one, that sends a signal to your brain that “I am happy” and you will actually start to feel happy.

In fact, here’s an experiment:

1. Think of a sad time from your life. Feel it in your whole body.

2. Now put a BIG smile on your face. Like you’re trying to eat a banana sideways.

What happened to the sad feeling?

If you are smiling, it is actually impossible to feel sad.

My idea is this: what if you made smiling into your default facial expression?

You’d always be happy, that’s what if. Try it for a day.

Peace.

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Writing music: something by La Roux

Photo is of a baby elephant. Via fotopedia.