Do you ever have days where you feel dull? Struggling to keep up with the pressures of life. Dwelling on the negative and struggling to laugh?
I’ve felt like this for the last, I don’t know, 5+ years now I think. Small children and a full time job took all my energy. Especially the physical side of being a dad. Playing with toy cars on the floor, fetching drinks and tissues, clearing up spills and changing nappies. It was endless.
But recently, with both my kids now at school, the game has changed. They’re more self-sufficient and our interactions are less physical and more mental. They ask me questions and when I can’t answer, I delegate to Alexa. We tell jokes, we talk about our dreams.
And I’ve had to find new ways to entertain them too. Bottles of bubbles don’t work in the same way as they used to, but we can cut straight to the fun by playing with the absurd.
Last week we talked about what it would be like if a horse went to my daughter’s school. How would it hold a pencil? Would it give rides to the other children at play time? Would it go to school in a car?
Today we talked about if Elsa from Disney’s Frozen were a Power Ranger in her spare time.
The kids loved it. I loved it! We all layered ideas one on top of each other. It got more ridiculous, and with it, more and more funny.
It can be hard to stop taking yourself so seriously as an adult. To ‘let go’ and risk looking silly. But going to extremes with ‘what-ifs’ is great fun and easy laughter.
As Victor Borge said, ‘Laughter is the shortest distance between two people’. So not only am I amused, but I’m also connecting with my family. Being a parent, and just generally a person, is now more fun than ever*.
*At times. I still have to wipe bums, clear up spills and deal with daily tantrums.
Your Clear Mind 