Note #026
Are you laughing enough?
“If you have gone one day in your life without laughing, you really need to consider what you’re doing.”
This sentence was scribbled on a torn scrap of paper
by one of my 3rd year Spanish students, Nina. She handed me the folded note as she left class that Spring morning - May 17, 2010 to be exact!
The author of this wisdom? Yours truly.
I often started class by sharing with my students how much fun life is and how we can always bring that fun into our learning environment. More than 20 years-in-education later, I still believe that with all my heart.
That note is taped to the door on my office supply cupboard. I re-read it often. It encourages me when I’m bored with writing or intellectual pursuits. It reminds me to shake things up a bit, to get out, to loosen up. To laugh.
Why this little collection of writings now?
I left the high school classroom in 2014, after 15 years of glorious time and energy with some of the most amazing students on the planet. I snuck back in as a “guest-teacher” for a couple of years in Entrepreneur class of the CTE (Careers and Technical Ed) program at our local high school. March 2020 was the end of that. And my tenure as a high school teacher.
But I couldn’t stop creating lessons! Once a teacher always a teacher. My YOUTH Positive curriculum/ program/writings/academic coaching kept my teacher mind busy for a couple of years. I recently created an online Course of Learning for middle and high school students - for public, private, and homeschool use. Or simply as a family resource for encouraging character development, critical thinking, and positive habit cultivation. (Here’s summary of a recent survey by Character.org Parents seem to want more resources to support character development in their children.)
Lots of encouragement to create something for parents came in veiled suggestions: “Parents would love a couple of short videos on raising teens!” “Do you offer parent courses?” “Have you considered a parent book?”
I’m not a parent. I don’t know the first thing about raising kids. I can’t give you advice on raising your own kids. And I don’t want to.
What I can do, what I want to do, and what I’m doing now is simply sharing things that have been useful or helpful to me (and my students in the classroom - in high school, in community education programs, in mediation and mindfulness, and in yoga classes) to create a good life.
Maybe some of these ideas or questions or practices will support you on your path of living a life of joy and purpose.
My favorite phrase these days is “an inquiry-based life”. If we don’t question, we don’t live authentically. If we don’t live authentically, we will languish. We do languish!
If you’re interested in living your Unique Genius
then this might be a space where you feel comfortable to explore. I’ll share ideas. You consider them for yourself, maybe try out some of the practices as a Personal Experiment in your life and see how it goes. Keep track if you are a track-keeper. If not, consider simply noticing how life changes as you incorporate new practices, techniques, or strategies.
I won’t offer “life hacks”. I hate that phrase. I think it cheats you out of the critical component of self-awareness. It’s the hard stuff, the uncomfortable, the minutia, the repetitive that show you how much you resist the gifts of life.
In positive psychology, we learn that “noticing and wondering” is a powerful way to stay plugged in to your own inner world.
What goes on in the invisible inner world, sooner or later, shows up in your demonstrated behavior, in your speech, in your presence.
How do you want to show up to your life?
That’s your first inquiry. Go ahead and consider. Journal if that feels good. Scribble notes on your day planner or napkin. Record on the Notes app on your phone.
Capture your ideas! They will get away if you don’t write them down.
As we contemplate the inquiries each week … this is NOT homework here!
Maybe a Personal Experiment or two. Maybe a practice to do each day for several days in a row. And lots of questions to explore. But no homework.
I’ll post about once a week, usually Wednesday or Thursday. You’ll always get some sort of question, sometimes a deep inquiry, sometime something light and fun, that will guide you to deeper self-awareness.
You are certainly welcome to share your thoughts in the comments. It can be really beneficial to read the insights of others. As long as we’re all respectful and kind, we can use this space to support each other in cultivating our Unique Genius. And don’t be afraid to ask your questions in the comments section! I’ll check in there and respond. And hopefully other subscribers will share their thoughts too.
For now, everyone will be a free subscriber. You’ll have access to everything I post.
We’ll see how things go…maybe later I’ll create a subscription option. I would probably use that to offer discounts to the YOUTH Positive online learning, books, and other classes I decide to teach.
Please consider subscribing
I’m not often a subscriber. My life has taught me the value of independence and being individuated in order to really create the life I want to live.
And…I do recognize, appreciate, and love a supportive community - a recent development in my life. In my new honoring of extended community, it does feel good to have you here. I enjoy having you along for the explorations!
If you find these writing and wanderings helpful or worthwhile, please share them. The more the merrier. Right?
So, here we go!
Let’s go out and make sure we laugh today. There is much joy in the world for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear.
Oh, can I tell you a cat joke?
Just kitten.
All the love there is,
Molly
P.S. If you found this useful, please share! The more happier families we have, the better off we are a a world. ❤️