I should have taken a picture of it.
I opened my kitchen cabinet and out toppled a half pound of spaghetti noodles. As I looked at the counter I wanted to scream and then thought – “Ah! Cheryl, guess you wanted to play pick up sticks today!”
It wasn’t more than 15 minutes later that I pulled a carton of milk out of the fridge and it slipped out of my hand and off popped the top and out sprayed the milk. “Oh come now, no sense crying over spilled milk!” I had to laugh at myself and then I really wished I had taken a picture of the spaghetti and the milk for you.
Telling on myself:
I can get riled. Tom and I will each sometimes ‘get in a mood.’ For him, he has a ‘snit.’ For me, I have a ‘rant.’ Neither are pretty.
But I’ve been observing people whose company I enjoy and I notice something. They don’t ‘humor’ others by using humor inappropriately to deflect others situations, but they will use it on themselves. They are easy to be around and they make it easier for me to be around me. I’m finding myself diffusing my lit fuse with humor and you know what? It’s working!
I want to laugh this Christmas. I want to be in a place that if I mix cinnamon instead of sage into the stuffing that I can laugh and say ‘Ah! You know what they say – cinnamon spice and everything nice – so this is going to be really nice stuffing!” It is taking some training, but I’m enjoying the perks that go along with the effort.
(As an aside: The American Heart Association is even tying laughter to releasing stress, possibly reducing the risk of heart disease or heart attack…)
Perhaps laughter truly is good medicine. Care to take a dose of it this season? Could be just what our Great Physician ordered to combat the holiday’s overwhelmedness ‘virus’.
Coaching Challenge: Stuff is going to hit you this month, but it doesn’t have to knock you over. Would you be willing to laugh at yourself a little more this Christmas?