Everyone wants to grow up and then when we get there we realize our mistake. We should have stayed young. Too much responsibility. Too much maturity. Too much to see and do. You are a grown up now. Wear the clothes and act the part. Keep your face. We all try to find that way back to our youth. I guess for me it’s embracing the Silly. Here are ways to find your silly:

Make a favorite sandwich the way it was made for you!

Mine was my grandma taking peanut butter and jelly and mixing it together into a bowl before applying it to the bread. My husband’s is grilled cheese with miracle whip. Maybe yours is without the crust or made out of hamburger buns with pizza sauce and cheese and thrown in the oven.

Wear something that reminds you of younger you!

Watching Bones, I always remember Booth wearing off-the-wall-crazy socks which is his way of sticking it to the man. For me its wearing mismatched socks. I always remember my friends laughing at them and I would laugh right along. I love the childishness.

Listen to some tunes from your childhood.

For me, it was NSYNC. There is nothing like breaking out Tearing Up My Heart and driving to work. An old Garth Brooks song does the same thing or even some Reba. Get your groove on. I guarantee you will get some pep in your step and you will feel younger.

What did you say?

Dude! Snikes! Awesome!!! How do you like me now? Sometimes we tend to overuse some of these but I feel more like my younger self when I say dude. People may look at you funny but I bet they may be catching themselves saying it. My dad says when my Aunt was growing up she would say REAL STUD. I don’t know what I would think if I heard her say that now. It would sound silly coming out her, but hey that is the point.

Dance

If there is anything that is more silly and so much fun, it is dancing. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Dancing just makes you feel good. If you don’t feel younger after busting a move, I’ll call you uncle. If you don’t want to do it in front of people, go try it out in your living room. There isn’t any place on this earth where you can’t dance… except maybe some churches.

Games of Silliness

Slug bug, Pop-eye (head light out), Hot Lava (The floor is hot!!!), Charades, and Paper, Rock, Scissors are all wonderful examples of games that bring back your youth. If not for my husband going to work tonight, I would wake him up just to play Hot Lava!!

Crafts and Activities

Make or do something. Whether it be gardening, paint ball, bowling, or sitting down and coloring something, these are all activities that you can do either by yourself or with someone. I always feel great after gardening. I’ve accomplished something and I think about back in high school when I was in FFA.  It brings me back to those happy days of my youth and again I feel younger.

Phone A Friend

Whether it be by phone, messenger, email, or even Snapchat, your friends make you feel younger. Snapchat is where it’s at for me right now. You may even break out into some of those funny phrases. I like that I can act a little stupid silly and make them laugh which in turn makes me laugh. The bonus with Snapchat is that after they watch it, it’s gone forever and will become our inside joke.

Watch a favorite old movie or show.

For me, it’s movies I grew up watching with my Mom and Dad. I don’t know how many times I have seen Pretty Woman but I’m pretty sure it’s over the legal limit. Sometimes I catch myself quoting it, but that leads us back to phrases. Dad’s movie was Tombstone. Sometimes you just want to pull a Wyatt Earp and tell someone that Hell’s coming with you. I feel younger just thinking about it.

Laugh

If there is anything that you take from this list today, it’s this. LAUGH. In our world today, there is so much to cry over. We need to hold on to our youth. To those good days in our life. The time you and your friend cheated at cards and nobody figured it out. The time your spouse said something hilarious and you still find yourself smiling over it. Sometimes I think my boss may think I’m crazy because 99% of the time when I am on the phone I find something funny. Laughter and Silliness are friends that will keep you young.

I’m only 27, so I still have a bunch to learn but I hope when I am older, I will look back at this on a rough day and use this as a list of things to bring back the silly and youth to my life.

Stay silly my friends.

~Kalamity

 

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