Living it up with homemade skis

“Dying is easy, comedy is hard.”  I love the old saying because it captures perfectly the paradox of lightness in our lives.

Laughter and smiles seem somehow foundational to our humanity, but sometimes it feels like too much of an effort to live with a sense of buoyancy.

I spent the past couple of days noting how often my children laugh.  They’re awesome at it (most of the time).   Giggles turn into cracking up, which turns into unstoppable belly laughs.  And just when you think they’re done, it starts all over again.

I am woefully far behind them.

In this last year, I want to recapture this sense of lightness.  I want to be amazed by subtlety, and to be reminded not to take this waning life too seriously.

We’re trying a little experiment in our house this week.  Can we make at least 3 people smile each day (not counting each other)?

Today we made an old lady walking down our street smile from ear to ear,  simply by smiling at her and saying hello.

When she had passed far enough behind, we high-fived each over, feeling  intoxicated by the connection.