Praciticing The Art of Silliness

I'm sure by now you must be familiar with the Red Hat Ladies. They're the crazy 50+ gals sitting next to you in the restaurant dressed in flamboyant shades of red and purple who are collectively laughing out loud. These zany Red Hatters seem committed to the art of silliness - as evidenced by their midnight tricycle rides in Walmart, while their feather boas flap recklessly behind them.

For more than 10 years I watched my mum's Red Hat shenanigans from the sidelines. And while initially I rolled my eyes at the colourful 'goings-on', it didn't take too many years before I realized / admitted that these middle aged gals may be on to something.

These sliver-coiffed souls have "been there, done that." They've successfully (and sometimes not so successfully) come through life's phases and landed on the other side having gained some genuine wisdom. They know all about establishing careers, raising families, re-establishing careers, re-defining who they are, not taking themselves too seriously, empty nests, hot flashes and even diagnosis. They're well versed in glass ceilings, endless opportunities, burning the two ended candle, setting priorities, the futility of wrinkle cream, the value of true friendship, and the things that really matter in life. 

The Red Hat Society - "We believe silliness is the comedy relief of life, and since we are all in it together, we might as well join red-gloved hands and go for the gusto together. Underneath the frivolity, we share a bond of affection, forged by common life experiences and a genuine enthusiasm for wherever life takes us next."

As I was preparing for our 7th Annual Wise Women's Weekend this coming weekend, I came across this photo of some of my Wise Women and I taken a couple years ago. When I look at this image I see women who didn't know each other very well 7 years ago, and now are the essence of how the Red Hatters define themselves. Each year we get to know each other just a little better - and it does feel like we are in this together. We each offer our own version of what gusto is, and our affection for each other is indeed forged by common life experiences and genuine enthusiasm for wherever life takes us next. 

It's safe to be silly in this crowd. Where there's silliness, there's laughter. I think the Red Hatters would tell us that when it's all said and done - laughter is one of those things in life that matter the very most.

5th Annual Wise Women's Weekend

 

When was the last time you allowed yourself to approach silliness with reckless abandon?

Go ahead, today's a great day to practice the art  of silliness!