Playing and Laughter

      This is the first of many blogs soon to come.  What these will mostly be about are ways to recollect and embrace or "re-embrace" the child that resides in our busy day to day lives.  I'm 21 years old and I've recently worked at a theatre for children as an intern.  During that time I guided children from the ages of 6 - 15 to produce short as well as feature length plays.  As I was moving from the different age groups I came to notice the age that we as humans tend to "forget how to play".
    Now as an actor its not as hard for me to know how to play but between the improve games, stories during snack and recess time, and just chilling in the lobby waiting for the parents to take their children home, "playing" is not as easy as it once was.  We go through our lives begin told to "grow up" hindering our ability to become anything that we wanted; an astronaut, a doctor, a movie star, a super hero, etc.  Its almost as if we're in that scene of A Clockwork Orange where "Our Humble Narrator" is being exposed to all those images and music, so much that after its all done we cringe away from how we used to be.  People become afraid of making a fool of themselves in order to make someone laugh.  So that brings us to one way to embrace our inner child, to play around, to be that kid in a field of grass looking at the clouds.

   Here's what you do:

1. Laugh
2. Laugh
3. Laugh
4. annnnnnd.... laugh some more.

    It's almost like the Green Eggs and Ham scenario in the sense of laughing "Here, there, or anywhere."  Try laughing in the most unpredicted of places, to the most random person or people.  My personal favorites are in public places such as elevators, restaurants, in line for a movie, and in the restroom.  The last one especially because its the most weirdest of places to laugh, but that makes it all the more funnier.  So start off with a soft giggle, then get a little louder for a reaction.  Once you get a few looks at you, look back at those people and laugh at them.
    Now, don't do it like a lunatic, but as if you were genuinely laughing so that way when you leave that elevator, or buy your movie ticket, you've made someone's day a little better  and who know's you may even start a conversation with someone quite interesting like how we used to when we were kids.  It didn't matter who you played with but the fact that you were playing and taking yourself away from the everyday world, even if it were just for ten minutes.  I think what they say is true, "Laughter is the key to any kind of relationship" whether it be your special person, your teacher, your students, your boss, you get my point.  We're on this earth for who knows how long, so why not make that time the best and humorous as possible.  Go now, start laughing, I bet you can't do it.  In fact I challenge you.  Respond with your own stories,...www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1dkTrNH92Y Laugh!!!