Today calls for a good laugh.

I don’t know what it is. I’m in an inexplicably good mood, and I want to joke around with everyone in the vicinity.

Best is when I get to laugh at myself. An idiosyncrasy, a silly mistake, some aspect of showing up completely human when the workplace expected a machine. When I can laugh at myself it frees others to let down their guards and laugh too.

The only way to make sure the important things stay important is to remind ourselves that they are not THAT important.

Humor is my secret perspective-restoring weapon.

It seems like more of a secret than it really is, because it is so counter-intuitive. Most people can’t even imagine cracking a smile in a tough situation much less poking fun at it.

Humor is my favorite and most effective tool for keeping a cool and sharp head when things get crazy busy, far too intense, or reactions spiral out of proportion to what’s actually going on.

And of course, a good laugh is refreshing. Like a cup of cold water on a hot day, smiling out loud throws an surprising and exhilarating splash of joy into our faces.

Startled, we join in the lightness of the moment, appreciate that we’re all human and on the same team, and then get back to work.

Yes, today calls for a good laugh. And so do a good many more.

Loving Monday is a weekly column designed to encourage us to step into our weeks with an intention to show up authentically, engage fully, and choose to make it a good week for ourselves. Explore past columns here.

This entry was posted on Monday, May 21st, 2012 at 2:28 pm and is filed under Loving Monday. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.