My 85-year old mother has learned an even simpler method than Julia Cameron's for lightening up. (See my 9/1/08 posting.) Whenever she does something stupid--or that she at least perceives to be so--instead of berating herself, she just laughs. Not a little tee-hee, mind you, but a big, exaggerated, hearty laugh that prompts everyone around her to giggle as well. It's not always easy to do, and sometimes she forgets, but to the delight of those who love her, she's literally made a habit of laughing at her mistakes.
Friday, September 05, 2008
Lightening Up: Part II
My 85-year old mother has learned an even simpler method than Julia Cameron's for lightening up. (See my 9/1/08 posting.) Whenever she does something stupid--or that she at least perceives to be so--instead of berating herself, she just laughs. Not a little tee-hee, mind you, but a big, exaggerated, hearty laugh that prompts everyone around her to giggle as well. It's not always easy to do, and sometimes she forgets, but to the delight of those who love her, she's literally made a habit of laughing at her mistakes.
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Thanks for sharing your grandmothers tip!
ReplyDeleteOn a similar note, whenever I do something silly (those things that could embarrass me if I allowed it to) I always tell those observing that I am glad to be of service to them. You know...it's their laugh for the day delivered by me! :)
I'm so glad I have your blog to read. I am enjoying it!
I love that, Allyn--"their laugh for the day delivered by you"!
ReplyDeleteBTW, it's not my grandmother's tip, but my mom's. (I never knew either of my grandmothers. One died years before I was born; the other died when I was a toddler.) Anyway, she looks a lot older in this b&w photo than she does in the others I've posted because her light brown hair (colored, not natural) looks white here.
I wish my mom (agd 91) could get the hang of this skill. You know, it becomes all the more important as we start earning the designation of absent-minded professor. The first time I forgot something really important, I burst out in tears--sure I was getting Alzheimers. Laughter is better. Even if it's hysterical laughter. Ha!
ReplyDeleteBest,
Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Award-winning author of This Is the Place, a novel
www.carolynhoward-johnson.com