Never Stop Skipping......

Playful reminders have the ability to ground us, bring us back to a stress free time, and ease the tension of the moment.

I experienced that joyful reaction recently while I watched a child skipping in the library. He was so contently absorbed in his own moment, as if nothing else mattered, and that skipping was the only way to get from one area of the library to another. I found myself getting caught up in the image, and the child within me smiled and I realized "skipping should not stop when we leave childhood!" The same playfulness should also continue with jumping rope, coloring and blowing bubbles.

Really, I think all the activities that brought us joy in our childhood, should be part of our weekly schedule in adulthood. After all, if it brings us moments of contentment and awakens the happy child from within, I'm all for it. So ladies if anyone is digging out their Barbies, "can I come ova 'n play????" "Sorry Mom I know you taught me to never invite myself over to a friend's...but it's Barbies!!!"

Have You Laughed Today??.....

Recently I attended a Laughing Yoga class at the Seekonk Public Library. Curious to see what I was in store for, I looked it up online and saw an awry of laughing videos. Folks looking real happy....I'm in! The idea of laughing with a group of people intrigued me. I invited my sister to join in, it felt like a bonding sisterly experience...and it was! I think the idea of doing something that I know very little about, falls into the category of my wanting to try things out of my comfort zone. Though I consider myself rather happy and jovial by nature, this was still feeling out there for me....in a curious way.

We started with learning about the health benefits of laughing and then it was time to really get started. There we were, the room filled with over 20  people, anxiously sitting at the edge of our seats, ready for instructions. Things started peculating with every Ha Ha Ha... and the room started to come to Life.

Through the superb guidance of Laughter Certified Instructor (who knew there was such a thing??) Mary McDonald, she had us belly laughing, some even with with happy tears and even a few ladies running for the bathroom....no jokes, no stories, just us moving around, role playing and non verbally engaging with others....through laughter! Forced laughter, quickly became familiar and welcomed.

The nervous skiddish energy that initially filled the room was now well into healthy laughter mode.  

How about this for a laugh fact: One minute of belly laughing is equivalent to 10 minutes on a rowing machine. Well, that's a no brainer to me. I've found my daily exercise. I don't row. Bring on the laughter!

My aha! moment of the class...once we allow ourselves to become a bit vulnerable, let our guard down, and not be concerned how we look to others.....there is a whole lot of fun just waiting to be had.