Can You Laugh at Yourself?

Good Morning,

Last week we talked about not taking everything so seriously. This week I want to apply that same thought to another area of life that can get out of balance.  Not only do we sometimes take others too seriously we can also take ourselves much too seriously.

At Forge where I spend considerable time working, we have pictures of groups of students (both youth and adults) that line the back hall.  These pictures go back almost 20 years.  While these photos are inspirational there is also a humorous aspect to them. It is hilarious to see the hairstyles, and style of dress in those pictures.  Here is why it is so funny to me.  At the time, they all thought they looked good.  Have you looked at your own pictures from 10 or 20 years ago?  I do, and I laugh.  But what do we still do?  We try to dress 15 years younger than we are.  We primp our hair and buy in-style clothes.  And the truth is, in a few years we will look back and be forced to admit that we simply didn’t look that great.  And really, who cares?

This goes beyond looks.  It goes to the dumb things we do that run counter to the image we want people to see.  The things we say that don’t come out right, the blunders we make that if we weren't so concerned about what people think would make us laugh our heads off.  We should realize that we don’t have our acts together and most everybody already knows it.  Because they don’t have theirs together either.  How much more enjoyable life would be if we all quit pretending to have things together and realized that we are all “pieces of work”.  We could all have a laugh at our own expense without it crushing our egos.

I have discovered this can be fun.  I have reached the point that I call my wife and admit when I do something odd so we get a laugh about it together.  The fact is, I do quite a few dumb things.  How about you?  Do you laugh at yourself?  Do you let others share the laughter with you?  It lessens the weight of life and is good for soul and spirit. 

Begin to share these things with others. Why not make a list and review it when life seems to heavy?  To set the tone, here are a few of mine.  Feel free to share yours with comments at https://road2legacy.com/blog/ so we can laugh together.

I have walked into the women’s restroom at the mall - twice. While going to a closing with a doctor I built a house for I walked into a street sign, broke my glasses and entered the hospital bleeding. I once asked a donor for a year-end gift and spell check corrected it to asking them for a urine sample (we both got a laugh out of it).  I opened the exterior door of the house said good bye to friends, turned and walked into the edge of the door I had opened. It hurt like crazy…and my wife couldn’t contain her laughter. And trust me, the list goes on.

A cheerful heart is good medicine.  Prov. 17:22

Live this week on purpose,
Ron Klopfenstein