Laughter lightens the mood, puts things in perspective, heals the troubled heart...And the more we take ourselves lightly, the more our spirit soars. So let us age into laughter. It may be the greatest gift we can give to others, and it can also heal us." Drew Leder, M.D.
As we grow older do we need to grow more serious? Do we need to stop being playful and young spirited? Ask yourself what gives you pleasure and delight? Have you forgotten? Did you leave your inner child behind at the playground?
Your need to play doesn’t diminish with age. No self-help book, Indian guru, or bossy sister can tell you what will give you pleasure. To find what gives you joy you have to discover it for yourself by listening to your inner child’s urges. Sometime during each day I’ve learned to ask myself, “Have you done anything fun yet?”
We all want to live longer and happier so we need to laugh at ourselves more and get out and play. Someone once wrote, “If you laugh...you last!”. That’s true. I remember my 75 year old grandmother playing games with us like Parchessi and Canasta. She even got down on the floor with us to shoot marbles. I also remember my 70+ year old friends, Len and Tita who once got together with a small bunch of friends to skip around silly at a local playground like escapees from the loony bin.
I got an email a few days ago that said, “You don’t stop laughing because you grow old, you grow old because you stop laughing.” There is no doubt that a sense of play and a sense of humor are essential to aging successfully.
Try to put more fun in your life, develop a sense of humor, seek adventure, remain curious and take seriously your inner child’s need to play!
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