The expression, laughing through life and taking yourself less seriously sugarcoats life’s realities. There is something to the statement, as nothing beats spending time with fun people who evoke a good belly laugh in you whenever you’re around them. However, my suggestion is to have upbeat people in your life with realistic yet positive views of the world.

I wholeheartedly feel that women who have lived over half a century know this and don’t take themselves too seriously. They have learned their lessons, acquired wisdom and know that laughter is a positive force to a happier life.

Focusing on Who We Are

These women are more relaxed because they are no longer out in the cold cruel world trying to make their mark. They are not striving to add complications to their life and I think they take time to focus on who they are.

They are focused on living the best life they can and they know the joy of laughter and the individuals around them that exude joy are important ingredients. Taking the time to smell the flowers, they also give back to others. They have time to share friendships, travel, read and explore new passions that they have purposely left for this time in their lives.

They have reached the age of acquired wisdom where they can relax more and, yes, laugh more. But, have no doubt, these women sages are nothing to laugh at and have learned to recognize those women with negative attitudes and keep their distance.

This Past Week at the UN Headquarters in New York City

 

On Thursday, I spent most of the day with my ultimate concierge at the United Nations. He is involved in the Global Housing Foundations in partnership with UN-HABITAT. The organization provides homes across the globe through productive partnerships.

There was a luncheon in the Representatives Dining Room, followed by several speakers. One of the speakers was Kunai Sood. The pamphlet on our table noted, “He has 20 years of experience in organizational leadership specializing in strategy, innovation and experience design. Kunai is a TED Resident and Founder of the X-impact Group and Novus. He is deeply passionate about leveraging exponential technology to solve our global grand challenges to positively impact the lives of a billion people.”

Throughout his entire speech, he had a smile on his face; that smile prompted me to smile as well.

Inspired to Become More Actively Involved in My Community

Choosing to accompany my husband enthusiastically raised my desire to involve myself in giving my time to a possible project in the USA. I smiled, laughed and jabbered with my ultimate concierge in the taxi all the way back to our hotel.

The point I am trying to make is that laughter is not necessarily laughing out loud; it’s feeling good about what you learned that adds undeniable energy to the air. It involves having great relationships so you want to laugh and surround yourself with upbeat people who laugh collectively with you.

A Suprise Call

I received an unexpected phone call just before lunch was served. It was my granddaughter, Skylar, my daughter Jenny and Mrs. Doubtfire, the name I gave my son-in-law, Bruce. They live in Arizona and were out for an early family walk with the two dogs.

They called to see how we were and invited us to stay with them for a month over the holidays. I was smiling on the inside from the top of my toes to the tip of my nose because I felt love all around me, earned love on both sides.

Passing On My Lessons

 

On the way home in the taxi, I thought about my role as a grandmother. This would not have crossed my mind if Skylar had not phoned me. And, this is what I thought. I have the time to pass my stories onto my grandchildren in personal letters, phone calls and in-person time spent together.

One of my letters will be about whether to see experiences through rose-tinted glasses. I will not sugar coat the expression. I will tell them to see their glass half full so they can push forward with positivity when challenges don’t work in their favor. When things go wrong, and they will in certain instances, I’ll remind them to remain realistically optimistic.

Life fills us up with all sorts of emotions. Hopefully, we live each day with a sense of humor. But no sugar coating, darlings. There’s always a bit of reality that must be injected with our optimism.

What types of stories do you regularly pass onto your grandchildren? Which life lessons have you forgotten to tell them that you’re more inclined to communicate now? Let me know in the comments below or on Facebook.

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