31 Days Living Inside Out: Don't Take Yourself so Seriously

I don't think I've ever really been a serious person. I know I've never taken myself too seriously, and I certainly know how to laugh at myself...for the most part. There's always an exception but I'm pretty laid back and light hearted.

"Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves will never cease to be amused"

Yep, story of my life! I mean, what other choice do I have when my nickname growing up was "Grace" and not as in "graceful". When I am holding a cup of coffee and for no apparent reason just tip it over. Or how about while running errands before going to work I, for whatever weird reason, get on the freeway. I can easily get lost in a big city. I threw my back out jumping away from a spider. Should I go on?

Let's face it. I amuse myself. Whether I amuse others is a completely different story. BUT...I amuse myself. I have learned to lighten up, go with the flow, roll with the punches. Even when life or circumstances are tough, no fun, even sucks (because I have had some circumstances that there is just no other word but that it sucks. But I don't want to be a worrier. I don't want to fret, be frustrated, irritated, uptight, having everyone walking on pins and needles. There are times I look back on when my girls were little and think "I should have lightened up a bit"...and I wasn't even that uptight.

We all function at different levels in regards to what we can handle, how much we can handle and where we are in our level of "taking ourselves or others too seriously". Pick one thing that you know you just get way to bent out of shape about and try to laugh instead of reacting. Maybe your kids like to help you in the kitchen but they are really messy..instead of being uptight and harping on them, just laugh with them, have fun and make them help you clean up. It won't be everyday they want to help you out. Just try laughing in a situation instead of reacting the way you typically might want to.

Today I took my youngest daughter and her friend to see one of their favorite artists from The Voice who happened to be doing a mini-concert at a Pumpkin Patch/Farm an hour and a half away from us. It was a super fun day but on the way home I managed to miss the exit to get us on the right "freeway" to go home. This would not be the first time I've done this, and not the first time with both these girls...we just laughed.

So today, tomorrow, the next day, JUST. LAUGH. Find joy in the little things. Hey, you spilled flour on the floor? It probably needed to be mopped anyways.

How about some quotes to end the night?

• Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated ~ Confucious 
• Do not take life so seriously..you will never get out of it alive ~ Elbert Hubbard
• It's your outlook on life that counts. If you take yourself lightly and don't take yourself too seriously, pretty soon you can find the humor in your everyday life. And sometimes it can be a lifesaver ~ Betty White
• Don't take things too seriously, and just chill ~ Kailash Kher
• Keep the circus going on inside you, keep it going, don't take anything too seriously, it'll all work out in the end ~ David Niven
• From there to here and here to there, funny things are everywhere ~ Dr. Seuss
• Keep your chin up, otherwise you're just looking at your own boobs ~ ?

With Joy UNquenchable,