Breaking Down the Morning Routine- Part 3: “I Love to Laugh”

“I love to laugh, loud, and long, and clear.”- Mary Poppins.

I think the Disney character of Mary Poppins helps remind me of a few things: One of which is to laugh. So many times we get wrapped up in taking life way too seriously. Everything has to be done, and it takes effort and work to get it done, and effort and work are serious matters. But do they have to be?

Honestly, since becoming a mom, I have been trying to take life a little less seriously and adding more fun into life again. I mean having kids allows you to play like a kid, and though sometimes exhausting because they have insane amounts of energy, it is fun to be creative and so care free. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t work to do… but we often forget that (as Mary Poppins again reminds us) “in every job that must be done there is an element of fun” even if it is sweeping the floor, doing the dishes, or folding laundry.

I decided that in order to really set the tone for my day, I needed to add a little laughter. For years Matthew would sit at the dinner table and recite bad dad jokes the guys would exchange earlier in the day at work. One year for his birthday his sister, Katie, bought him a calendar of bad dad jokes. Each day you tear off the page to reveal the dad joke of the day. I must admit, I chuckle… even at the bad bad ones that are totally stupid and make me roll my eyes.

When I decided I needed to laugh in the morning, utilizing the bad dad joke calendar was a perfect way. The issue became, how was I going to remember to look at it daily. I had to put it somewhere that I wasn’t going to miss. This place is next to the slider. Every morning I let the dog out. We have a counter that sits right next to the slider that I touch each time I open the door. It was perfect. I slide open the slider, Tucker walks out, I close the slider, tear off the bad dad joke of the day, and have my morning laugh. It has been part of the routine every since… even at 4:30 in the morning when my eyes are barely open. I still get my laugh in.

When I was really considering my morning routine beginning each day with a little inspiration, hydration, and laughter sounds a lot better then overwhelm, work, and stress. It’s like I am setting my day up to inspire others, have energy, and find a little fun in everything I am doing. When I am inspired, energized, and playful things get done and I see the progress happening throughout the day. For me, this attitude helps develop my confidence and I get to reflect the person I want to be to Matthew, the people at work, the people I see at the store, but most importantly to Jack and Lily… And that in itself is pretty empowering.