KEEPING IT LIGHT - A PERSONAL NOTE
'If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun'.
Katherine Hepburn

Every now and then I find myself in a situation that brings about unanticipated laughter and light heartedness and I am reminded of how easily I slip back into a pattern where I risk taking life way too seriously.

I had such an occasion last week in circumstances that really lent themselves to sorrow more than joy. My mother's brother very sadly lost his long fight with leukemia and the family gathered together in Hobart to farewell him.

Like most funerals, there were moments of celebration of a life that was truly lived to the full but there were others of raw, heart wrenching grief.

But in the midst of the grief, there remained the sense of connection we feel and the sense of belonging we acknowledge when we get together with extended family.  And with that sense, there were moments of unexpected lightness that seem to be part and parcel of the heightened emotion that accompanies grief.

The collective of cousins (some now over 40) still consider themselves the 'kids' of the family and readily embrace the opportunity to misbehave in one way or other.

Although it's no longer forbidden to drag the youngest member to the pub, we still look forward to escaping our parents' company to have a bit of fun together.

This time was no different to the others although we also had the pleasure of being accompanied by a few old friends. So we ate and drank and danced and laughed until well into the early hours and I remembered how much it restores me to be in the company of people who love to have fun.

Whilst it's not always easy to engineer such a night, it's worth the effort keeping in touch with people who knew you when you were younger.  People who won't allow you to consider yourself old; people who won't take no for an answer when you don't feel like dancing or jumping fully clothed into a swimming pool on a hot summer's night.

I'm lucky enough to have kept some of those friends and I recognise their incredible value.  They stop me from taking myself too seriously, they help me to laugh at my shortcomings and they remind me of how fabulous it feels to laugh until your tummy hurts.

As we flew home somebody commented that it was exactly the sort of night my uncle would have loved. I remembered his words the last time we were all together on the balcony of his beloved yacht club - 'what a beautiful family I have and how proud I am to be part of it'.  I couldn't agree more.

KEEPING IT LIGHT

·        Be social - organise dinner, drinks, a picnic or anything that brings a group of friends together.

·        Attend a sporting event and barrack energetically for your team (and don't worry about what the people around you think).

·        See a funny film.

·        Sing out loud in the car or even better, take a group of friends to a karaoke bar. It's silly but fun.

·        Play charades with your kids.

·        Kick a footie around the park with friends.

·        Learn african drumming or latin dance.

·        Colour your hair.

·        Do a bomb drop into a swimming pool (I'm not joking...it's impossible to take yourself seriously after this!).

·        Buy a collection of simple musical instruments (shakes, tambourine, drums, triangles) and play music (even if it's badly) with your friends.

·        Spend a weekend in Tasmania - they know how to have serious fun down there!

We are happy for you to reproduce our articles as long as they remain intact and contain the author's details as follows:

'Kate James is a work life balance coach, writer and speaker. She works with professional people who want to enhance their quality of life by making the right career and life choices. You can find Kate at www.totalbalance.com.au.'