Are you a practical joker?
I know you want to laugh with your partner. But there are so many details in life, right? And when life gets that busy, sometimes the laughter falls out.
I mean you’re sick, or you’re working until midnight because FINALLY the house is quiet. These living conditions don’t really lend themselves to a good gafaw.
How do you FIND laughter when you’re overwhelmed with living?
Today, I want to offer you 3 ways to plant laughter in your life.
- “Plant” something wacky in your front yard
- Tell a Tall Tale
- Capture an odd moment
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Could a practical joke save your marriage?
My brother, Kevin, was famous for his practical jokes. Growing up he tied a string to the handle of a metal mug filled with water. Then taped that string to the cupboard door, so that, when you opened the cupboard, you got a face full of water.
Kevin made everything a party. Life was happier in his presence. I miss him, but his spirit is with me every time I think of playing a trick on someone.
I think there was also a heaviness in his heart. I could be wrong because I never talked to him about it, but I think I felt that a lot of the jokes and games were a way to compensate for the heaviness he felt.
And it’s a worthy strategy. I’ll tell you how it impacted me.
Laughter sets you free
When I notice myself getting upset because the peanut butter is in the wrong place in the fridge, or huffing and puffing because my husband is running late, I try to remind myself of Kevin.
Jocularity is magical. Because when we laugh, we are free. Free from shame. Free to be ourselves. Free to connect with other people.
So whether you use jokes and games and play to recover your freedom or to expand your freedom, they are a golden ticket to a happier happily ever after.
Let’s talk about why people don’t play practical jokes
Sometimes people avoid practical jokes because:
- It’s vulnerable to stick your neck out and do something out of the ordinary: easier to tow the predictable line. No one likes to look like a fool. It’s risky.
- Ideas?! Who has fresh ideas to create a good practical joke?
Where would a good practical joke make a difference in your life?
Where would it ease tension? Offer perspective? Become just the connective tissue you need?
Let’s list a couple places where practical jokes are just the thing to connect you more deeply to someone you love:
- What if you’ve been the one to leave the cap off the toothpaste 16 times and your partner keeps harping on it? What if you taped 16 toothpaste caps to the bathroom mirror?
- What if you have some neighbors that you want to know better, but you just don’t know how to make friends? How about planting a flamingo in their yard?
- Is your workplace boring you? Is it the right thing to take a page from my brother’s playbook and tie a string onto a mug filled with water?
Try this:
This week’s habit for your happily ever after is to play a practical joke on someone you love, or WITH someone you love.
Are there some people in your neighborhood you’d like to know better? Can a practical joke spark a story you’ll share for years to come? Or do you have a friend who lives across the country and you want to bond with some laughter?
Date Night Discussion
This week I invite you to talk with your partner about the practical jokes of your collective past.
Was there a high school prank either of you played? How do you feel about practical jokes? Is there a style of joke that you want your partner to know is off limits for you? That wouldn’t be funny, but rather might hurt your feelings?
Is there a practical joke you’d love to start with your neighborhood or other community?
Who do you know that would benefit from the feeling of inclusion your prank might play?
Want to stop arguing and start connecting with your spouse? This FREE e-course will offer you habits to improve your marriage communication so you can smile more and fight less. Sign up to improve marriage communication.
