Today's post will not take long, and I dedicate its genesis to two of our colleagues in Utah, Larissa Taylor and Karsten Walker. We were doing some asynchronous PD work on depressurizing our souls, and I did the bit about how Chris Hemsworth and I are difficult to tell apart, and Larissa made this comment that made a bunch of us laugh, and then she shared a video of Chris Hemsworth that has made me laugh about a dozen times so far, and eventually Karsten made this comment:
Who knew you all were so fun? It was great to LOL reading these – is laughter a way to depressurize? Should we incorporate more comedy into schools and systems?
And the thread kept going, but the gist was this: in the midst of some really hard and honest shares about inner struggle, burnout, and demoralization, there was this little island of laughter. And man, after reading through that thread and seeing all these people making their own funny comments, you couldn't help but notice in your spirit a sense of RELIEF.
So, today:
The goal is just to laugh, but bonus points if you can laugh with others
All we're after is a chuckle/chortle/laugh. One good one or so per day can really be a pressure relief valve. So, allow me to help with some videos, and then I'll be out for the day and let you get your week finished and your weekend started.
Watch these
Next time someone near you starts laughing, just fake laugh with them
Do it. It's fun. And if you can, during your fake laughter, move your mind deliberately to look on the absurdity of your situation right now. Whether you're with strangers or colleagues or loved ones, it's fun.
A quick final note for serious folk
Listen, colleague — I can get locked into seriousness like the best of 'em. Now granted, I've got a job that requires me to hang out with 14-year-olds every weekday, and that is a nice ward against self-important seriousness.
But we all — all — need the natural depressurizer of laughter. And like singing or playing the piano or having better conversations or learning to manage a classroom, laughing every day is a learnable, improvable skill.
Much love to you and yours this weekend,
DSJR
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