“LIGHTEN UP, SUNSHINE.”
This phrase has fond memories for me. It was something my dad said when he’d catch me being way too serious, my face with a furrowed brow and awful grimace.
These days, I recall the phrase when I find myself caught up in the seriousness of something that didn’t need all that fervent intent! Agh!
It rather reminds me of Oscar Wilde’s quote from his play “Lady Windermere’s Fan”: “Life is far too important a thing ever to talk seriously about.”
These days we tend to see a somewhat paraphrased version on T shirts and posters, such as “Life is far too important to be taken seriously.” Whatever the quote or paraphrase, you get my drift.
Oscar Wilde’s quote came up in conversation last weekend when a group of us saw a very entertaining and hysterical concert at our local theatre.
Here were 16 men of varying ages, some with facial hair, long locks, some bald, every size and shape you could imagine, dressed in any form of black attire that fell out of their wardrobes. Not the usual “choir”. *
But could they sing; magnificent harmonies and faultless vocal expertise mixed with buffoonery and silliness, as well as touching thoughtfulness. We laughed and cried for two hours.
It reminded us of how important silliness and lightness and laughter is. “Laughter is the best medicine.”
There is much that weighs heavily at the moment, but there is also a lot to enjoy and laugh about.
One of the most important things we can do as human beings is to make sure our time and energy is spent on the things over which we have control.
If you have done “The Centre Within” with me, you will recall the “blank sheet of paper” exercise. That piece of paper represents the time and energy we have for that day. It’s up to us how we spend it. Every time I say something that takes some amount of time and energy, I tear off a piece of that paper.
We all have the same amount of time and energy to expend each day. The problem is, a lot of our day can be spent talking about many things over which we have no control at all. What a waste.
Here’s an age-old exercise, but a very good one:
Blank sheet of paper and a pen: (don’t do this on a computer, do it the ‘old fashioned’ way, it has a greater effect.) Draw a circle on the paper…
- Inside that circle write all of the things over which you have control, such as: house, car, garden, job, hobbies, how you act, how you react, your thoughts, your feelings, your words, your time on social media, your goals, your aspirations, your behaviour, your attitude, etc.
- Outside that circle write down all the things you don’t have control over. They may be things that, at present, take up much of your time and energy each day, such as: other people’s thoughts, other people’s behaviour, other people’s reactions, the war overseas, the weather, rising interest rates, high petrol/diesel prices, the Consumer Price Index, the Stock Market, the government, etc.
- Put that piece of paper somewhere handy as a reminder. When you find yourself putting time and energy into those things over which you have no control, remember, if it is outside the circle, it’s time to change your thoughts and words. You will then be cutting short your old patterns and establishing a new habit of putting time and energy into those things you can control.
Our time and energy is precious, we don’t want to waste it. Also remember, every thought and word we think and say has an effect on our being. Keep it positive.
I love the pic and the message in the quote box below. We could all lighten up, and be the kid on the right.
Love and Laughter always,
* in case you were curious the “choir” is The Spooky Men’s Chorale.