Sometimes the things that shock or disturb us bring the greatest lessons.  The exercise for day #4 of the 30-day Blog Rock Star Challenge is to share a funny story from my childhood.  In this case, age 21 qualifies.  I was naïve and childlike in many ways at that age.

I’m an only child and my parents were older when I was born so I was like the golden egg that needed to be protected.  I was pretty sheltered – OK, very sheltered until I went away to college.  And then I met the ‘bad boy’.  He was EXACTLY what I needed to give me a more balanced perspective of the world.  I got a crash course.

We met at Thanksgiving so by Christmas it seemed like a good time to meet his parents.  After the introductions and small talk his father asked me if I wanted to see the Christmas tree in the other room.  What?  Didn’t most of us have those?  What could be so special about this one?  Curiously I said yes and we headed down the hall.

When we got there, the tree looked more like the scraggly Charlie Brown tree.   It wasn’t anything special.  But as I walked a little closer the needles were not needles, the ornaments were not ornaments and this was not a Christmas tree.  It was a marijuana plant decorated in Christmas splendor.

I was a shocked and sure that the police were arriving any minute.  He and his father had a great laugh and I had a great lesson.

These are the times when we have the chance to open our eyes to greater awareness and different opinions about ourselves.  When we’re open to new perspectives life expands.

I could have been embarrassed or upset about the prank.  Instead, what I received was a much needed boost to my sense of humor.   Not the kind you get from watching comedy, but the kind you get from living life on the edge where the unexpected and ironic happens.   Humor is a superpower that makes life easier, and if you want to bring more humor into your life, here is a practice you can try.  I love it!

Here it is.  Laugh out loud for 20 seconds every morning for a week.  It’s that simple.  This isn’t just a giggle – this is a full-out belly laugh.

• Check the time and laugh for the full 20 seconds.
• 20 seconds might feel like forever the first time.
• Keep going even if you are uncomfortable
• Warn others that are nearby or they will think you’ve gone C-R-A-Z-Y.
• And if you really want to raise the bar, watch yourself doing it in the mirror.

Have FUN and please post what it was like for you.  I would love to hear what you noticed.  How your body felt.  What was the rest of the day like?