This summer as a result of the lovely weather I learned a new skill! OK I am not very good at it so perhaps “skill” is a little ambitious, but I learned to body board. I must say I had so much fun out there in the waves I felt like a 12 year old again – and I absolutely loved that feeling. I laughed out loud, I screamed, I whooped and I literally jumped for joy when I caught a wave. So that got me thinking – I need to have this feeling more often. Living in the Midlands is good for so many things and there’s not many areas of the UK you can’t get to quickly – except of course the sea, which means body-boarding is not a regular option. In the absence of that I decided that I would make an early new year’s resolution – to find new ways to have more fun.
Last week I went on a Segway around Sherwood Forest which was brilliant and a totally unique way to appreciate the amazing scenery, and yesterday I went to Alton towers and spent most of the day upside down and spinning around. I laughed a lot – and it felt good; not an adult contained laugh, but that childlike carefree laughter that adults so often forget how to do.
So I have decided to do something that makes me laugh more often – it’s not always practical to go out for the whole day and of course that can get expensive, but even going to see a funny movie can really lift your mood. I went to see “The Heat” a few days ago and laughed out loud – along with the rest of the audience; it was lovely to be in a cinema where instead of everyone “shushing” if you make a noise – the whole room was laughing out loud in unison (even my daughter who is usually highly embarrassed by my laugh, didn’t tell me off as she was doing exactly the same!)
In my professional capacity, especially as a weight loss coach, January 1st is a busy time of year when we all typically take stock of our lives and think about what we want to change or improve, – and perhaps it can get a bit contrived saying “Ok what can I do today that will make me laugh?” but I am so pleased I didn’t wait until January 1st to make my resolution.