Margaritas, Metallica, and a Serious Case of the Giggles

After a couple (or was it three) very potent Margaritas and several hands of Rummy, someone said something that I found amusing at the time and I broke out in uncontrollable giggling.

When I say giggling, I mean I sounded like a Junior High girl. And when I say uncontrollable, I mean that I had to excuse myself from the table. I went to the bathroom to try to regain my composure, but I made the mistake of looking in the mirror and started giggling all over again.

That was about eleven years ago in our kitchen with the entire family, my son and daughter and their spouses gathered at the table. This family card game took place after my wife’s surprise birthday party that I had been planning for months. The house was full of people from all over the place when we returned from dinner, but I was very stressed that the whole thing would come together.  It turned out to be a wonderful and complete surprise for Patty. My giggling, I think, was part alcohol and part relief from all of the planning for the event.

On another occasion my son turned to me and said, “You sure have gotten relaxed.” I replied, “If I were any more relaxed, I’d be in a coma.” On still another kitchen table moment, there was someone sitting there wanting some pastoral advice from me. Nathan piped up and said, “Pops is pretty much the same, only he ditched the suit, listens to Metallica, and drinks beer.” I consider his remarks compliments.

I feel badly for my wife and children who suffered through my pastoral/OCD ways for all of those years. Now I say I am still OCD, but I am in recovery (inside joke). All of the unwanted and unpleasant things that have resulted in my looking back at the organized church as an outsider has bought some positive changes too.

I spend a lot more time with family. I don’t mind being interrupted, as much. I talk to my neighbors a whole lot more. I am far less concerned with what people think of me. Finally, I am getting where I can handle the adrenalin low of a quiet day.

Having just gotten back from living on a Florida beach for a week and touring around the South with my Honey for another week, I am feeling pretty relaxed! While on vacation, we were both ready for an adventure, ready to laugh, and ready to engage other people, and we did. That’s not a bad way to approach every day.

This post is part of the May Synchroblog, entitled, Lighten Up: The Art of Joy, Laughter, and Letting Go. Here are the other other participants’ contributions:

• Jeremy Myers at Till He Comes – Lighten Up! 
• Maria Kettleson Anderson at My Real Journey – The Art of Passionately Lightening Up
• Melody Harrison at Logic and Imagination – {I Don’t Do Joy}
• Wendy McCaig – Lighten Up: Learning to Let Go From A Man Who Lost It All
• Carol Kuniholm at Words Half Heart – Resurrection Laughter
• R. Lee Bayes at Southern Humanist – Loving Light 
• Alan Knox – Be Sarcastic With One Another 
• Patrick Oden at Dueling Ravens – Truth, Beauty, and Yodeling Pickles
• Tammy Carter at Blessing the Beloved – A Tricky Little Journey 
• Christine Sine at Godspace – Lighten Up: It Really is the Best Medicine 
• Liz Dyer at Grace Rules – A Spoonful of Sugar 
• K.W. Leslie at More Christ – When Jesus Made A Funny
• Maurice Broaddus – Why So Serious? 
• Ellen Haroutunian – A Laughing God