Overall, We Griffiths are a Happy Lot
We smile frequently and laugh with loud abundance, making no apologies for either our ongoing humor or the loud cackling chortles we let loose. Consequently, we have a lot of photographs of us looking like the town idiots or as if we belong in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. That’s okay, we don’t mind.
What’s wrong with conveying happiness with a whole face (and often whole body) expression? Isn’t it a wonderful thing to let joy leap out of you full force, shaking your entire being like the happiest of puppies?
Adults can be Happy
As grown ups, we spend too much time not being like children:
- We don’t run for the sheer fun of it—even just around the yard.
- Life no longer finds us playing hide and seek—starting at dusk and staying until after dark.
- We don’t fly high on the swings—we should never remove the playlets from our yards.
- Why don’t we get out the Crayola crayons for the treat of seeing colors fill a page. We can color inside or outside the lines—although adult coloring books are now available.
Why do we stop doing these activities that are relaxing and fun?
When I was a child, I did childish things? Is it that? Sorry, that’s not a good enough answer.
Some people don’t quite get the blog I write, Adventures of Burt and Muggins. They were created for the simple fun of it, that’s all. The journeys the boys take and trouble they get into are meant to entertain, to lighten up the adults of the universe. When my husband, Alex, has this tiny fake dog and monkey posing in one predicament or another, my favorite thing isn’t to watch him. It is to spy on the people observing him. The cover photo on their blog was taken in Lyon, France while a man of our age sat at a nearby table, drinking coffee, and watching the photographer at work. His smile was huge, delight apparent on his face.
How Often are We Happy
Years ago, a friend learned that kids laughed 300 times more in a day than he did. From that moment, he vowed to start causing more laughter and enjoy more belly chuckling in every twenty-four hour period. That’s when harmless but entertaining practical jokes—like a drawing on construction paper taped to my computer as my screen saver—started turning up around the office. A quick internet search and an article by the University of Kentucky shows that statistic is still valid. If we’re the folks in charge, why are we letting the little ones have such a big leg up on us?
Kids, when life is right for them, laugh. Children giggle with whole body abandon, they ask for what they want and do what is necessary to get that one thing. They fly into Grandma’s bedroom pre-dawn, towing a princess dress and story book and demanding, “Dama! Put dress on me and read a story!” She wanted, she asked, she got. Well, the “got” part came after the sun rose.
Granted, we adults can’t be that direct and get a good response from family and friends, especially at five-thirty in the morning. However, we can be clear about what we want or need and be polite about asking for it. I don’t hesitate to tell my husband, “Hey, I’m a little sad today.” He takes that as his cue, or invitation, to unleash the laughter. It can be binge watching The Big Bang Theory or some antic with Burt & Muggins. He’ll go to any lengths to get me outside my head and living in laughter.
It’s Easy to Find a Laugh, to be Happy
Babies smile when they discover they have toes and fingers. They giggle when we laugh. They delight in the moments of joy-inducing things provided in the right here, right now. Grownups should remember to take pleasure in the simple that comes into our lives every day—from fresh air to sunsets.
Adults are tasked with the responsibilities of life—we are spouses, parents, friends, significant others, we are children, nieces, nephews, we are employees, business owners, writers. We must earn livings, support households, save for retirement, contribute something to the world around us.
Whew. That’s a lot of pressure.
We need joy in our lives. We need humor and laughing and whatever can bring that into our worlds is a good thing. That can be reading Calvin and Hobbes, taking our kids to the circus, or sledding down the biggest hill in your neighborhood. Maybe it’s watching The Three Stooges or your favorite Gene Wilder movie.
Let us make a promise to start snickering and ha ha’ing more heartily every single day!
If we Griffiths—and those we collect into our world as extended family—want to laugh at inside jokes and corny puns to the extent that our faces contort and the guffaws can be heard for a quarter mile, so be it. We’ve found at least one way, one soul engulfing way, to behave like children for a little while.
Those men sure looked like they’re related, eh?
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Post expanded & updated from original.
Another post about my fun parents, please read, It’s Our Parents’ Fault
The power of play should never be underestimated. I tend to get really frustrated when learning something new, especially if it involves an iota of coordination like dance moves or fire spinning (just with a practice staff). If we can maintain a playful mindset, frustration doesn’t set in. I’ve improved my capacity for play as an adult, but it will always be a work in progress.
You are so right, Jeri! We should never stop playing–even if we can’t pull off the dance moves. And fire spinning? That’s quite the thing to try! I love playing and try to do something a little fun every day–it’s a goal anyhow!
When I watch children play and see delight in the tiniest of things, I think back to my childhood. It was almost free of worry and I was excited at being with friends, heading to the park, getting ready for a birthday party.
Adult life which I so much desired when a teenager, brings much pressure. In the midst of the challenges we can forget to smell the roses, laugh and be thankful we have another day.
Thank you for the reminder that deep down there is a child in each of us pushing to come out.
Phoenicia, I hope that this weekend your children make you laugh so hard your face hurts! With a family full of smiles like yours, that’s got to be always possible and most likely always happening! You’re right about us wanting to be adults and then thinking–why did I want all this? Still, going forward is the important thing!
Wonderful read. No doubt with a pile of work we all might have lost a child within us who wants to laugh and be an idiot sometimes. I often try to steal these laughing moments from life. I believe in not missing such moments whether I am with my family, friends or acquittances. whenever we look back at our life, such moments always makes us smile.
Bravo to seeking out times to laugh and share smiles, Tushita!
I love happy families. And your lovely grin always makes me smile. My mother has been gone a very long time, but the memory I most cherish is that she loved to laugh and appreciated and nurtured the happiness of others. I try to emulate that attitude and behaviour. My father was the more the serious type, and my brother is even more serious than my father was, which makes time with him ‘difficult.’
That’s a wonderful mother-memory, Doreen. I don’t know that any of us are serious–I’ll ponder that and let you know. Drat that your brother is not like mine–he is hilarious 95% of the time. Such a gift.
I loved these pictures! Oh how I miss those that have gone to heaven! There was nothing better in the world than Uncle’s nights or Cousin’s get-togethers. I never have laughed so hard.
And, being a Da’ma…I do all of those things….we run and we swing and we color and we play hide and seek (one of our favorites!). Kids bring out the kid in us again.
Those Uncle nights were the best fun. How I wish we had recorded the stories they told and the laughter we shared.
I don’t see your all-encompassing happiness as the “idiot grin.” You know EXACTLY what you’re doing and why you’re grinning. 😀
I do find that I limit myself to those. I wonder why? When I allow myself to let loose, those around me are happier. My kids want to spend more time with me, my friends and family find more reasons to call it email, and I am overall more satisfied.
We should all have chianti and crayon dates! I might have to suggest that to Phil for our next stay-in date night. Thanks for the idea! (Insert big, silly, happy grin)
Good points, Tammy! You so have to laugh all the time with that trio of kids of yours. They are a riot all the time.
So when can we all get together for Chianti & Crayons?
That’s why I love you, Rose! You always make me feel like a kid…no rules and tons of laughing and smiling. Thanks for being you and for being my dear friend. PS Maybe we should have a coloring and wine night…how FUN would that be????!!!
Which night, Patty? I’ll be over with my Crayolas and Chianti!
Yes to laughing and smiling until it hurts! Thanks for being a good part of that for me Miss Rose. Btw, I do still run just for the fun of it and playing with beads is kind of like using crayons. I’ve thought there should be a playgound with adult sized swings because you’d find me there getting the same rush as when I was little.
Maybe we should get together and build a playground for grownups with big swings and a slide that is just a bit longer than the kid’s–oh and it has to be made of aluminum so we can wax it with wax paper and speed down it. No plastic stuff!
Oh, Amen! I needed to read this today to be reminded to just let go every once in awhile! Or maybe more often than that. In my family, we (adults and kids) DO break out the coloring book and crayons on holidays. We’ve done that for years. It’s extra special when you get a brand new box of Crayola crayons!!! And….I love, love, love the pics of everyone’s smiles. They made me smile (even though there was a tear or two mixed in.) I love you, my friend! Thanks for touching my heart today…
Seriously? I love that you color! How much fun is that? Yahoo to you!
Yep…some of the pics are bittersweet. Sigh.
I enjoyed watching the kids at Parker’s recent second birthday party – they were just plain old having fun with abandon. Hmmmm…I think that one of the ingredients to having fun is also having energy. Then, having fun leads to having energy and it’s a good cycle. The pictures you selected crack me up. I did not know a picture existed of Lillian grinning.
It’s a great cycle! Then, the kids pass out from fun exhaustion–what a good way to take a nap! Hey, Grandma could pull it off when she wanted to. Mostly she just did that little smirky thing.