IT’S THE CONNECTIONS, SILLY
Do you laugh with friends? Can you laugh with special friends until the tears roll down your cheeks? Are their people in your friend circles who tell great jokes and make people laugh...every time? Who do you think of when you want to have fun?
No matter our age we crave fun, laughs, silliness. This requires connections. It has been proven, written about and discussed on the news that older people - those of us retired and over 60 have fewer relationships and friendships than we did at 30. Of course, I reply, I can be more selective now. I set my schedule, I’m not working, don’t have children on teams or in schools or carpools. I am freer to choose how I spend my time and with whom. And if I don’t work at it a bit I can be home alone and lonely.
So let’s get creative about how we can create and maintain friendships. We know the easy ones. Volunteer at libraries, museums, schools, churches. Your reaction may be, “ Been there. Done that. I want fun.”
My little list of ideas and I hope this spurs you to think of what you do to get laughing with friends.
Invite a few friends over to:
1. Paint rock faces. No art degree required. Little cost. Creative. No rules.
2. Have a craft party. This includes men too! Have everyone bring one thing they are working on and can teach the others to do.
3. Paint a fence, a wall ( in the garage?), a sidewalk.
4. Play in the dirt. Invite a few people to plant in your garden.
5. Turn teacups into bird feeders. Glue cup and saucer together and attach ropes to hold it up. Check Pinterest as my granddaughter told me for more feeder ideas.
6. Have a garden party. If you don’t have a large enough garden go to the park.
7. Make hats for the garden party
8. Go to the beach or river or creek and play in the water.
9. Have a watermelon seed spitting contest. Who can spit the farthest.
10. Put on a puppet show
Now, you sit and think about what will make you laugh and how to gather a few friends together to do it. Let me know what you come up with. One of you out there can have a new career putting all our ideas together in book form. Then there will be the workshops. Next, Ellen and Operah are calling to find out who these happy, laughing people are.
Finally, remember NO ONE DIED OF LAUGHTER!