This national bestseller was published waaaay back in 2002 and is titled, “The Art of Possibility” by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander, and please note it is still fiercely pertinent to present day.
How incredibly ironic that the topic of chapter 6 (all about Rule Number 6) has come into my mind many MANY times in the past few weeks and months. Happy to “spill the beans” here...Rule Number 6 is simply, “Don’t take yourself so g--damn seriously.”
I have a tendency to break Rule Number 6 all over the place and twice on Sunday...and as I thought into why I tend to be so serious...why I take life very seriously at times...well...there’s been a lot at stake in what’s brought me to this spot on the page.
I’ve done a lot of serious stuff...where there were consequences for one’s actions, such as...working as a whitewater kayak guide on the Upper Green River where sometimes being in nature's wild caused crazy things to happen….and then there was working as a conductor for the Dearborn Division of the Norfolk Southern railroad. Not only was the job itself very dangerous at times (life and limb sorta stuff)...the company managers were always looking for a reason to fire you...which lead to a pretty serious work-life. After I was laid off from the railroad (Feb 2020) I worked for the US Postal Service as a rural mail carrier. And let me just say, 2020 was not a very fun, lighthearted time to become a rural mail carrier. Not a day went by from March to October of 2020 where I wasn’t running like my hair was on fire, my vehicle was on fire, the mail was on fire and everything was on fire (also note: this was long before Amazon delivered their own packages but rather shipped them via the USPS), because the paralyzing affect that the COVID debacle had on USPS logistics systems was, well let’s just say...serious. Before all this I was a H.S. and college volleyball and basketball referee for many years...a lot of humorlessness throughout some of those very intense times.
So yes, ever since reading and re-reading “The Art of Possibility” and the chapter about Rule Number 6 I think of this when I need to remember the benefit of laughter and the humorous side of things.
On page 81 you’ll find the following quote:
“Remembering Rule Number 6 can help us distinguish (and hold at some remove) the part of ourselves that developed in the competitive environment of the “measurement world.” {sidebar here...you don’t grow up Baptist and not learn a smidge about the “measurement world.” just saying.} For the sake of discussion, we’ll call it our calculating self. One of its chief characteristics, as we shall see is that it lobbies to be taken very seriously indeed. When we practice Rule Number 6, we coax this calculating self to lighten up, and by doing so we break its hold on us.”
All of this said, I have noticed that more and more folks here on Facebook seem to be turning to humor in these current times we find ourselves...myself included. (I'm seeing more humor related posts...funny cat videos or quips or memes meant to lighten the air or even cause us to burst out in laughter, and thank you for this!) Some of this might be contributed to simply how ridiculous things have become...where you just laugh because that’s the only thing left to do.
It’s also worth noting that laughter is proven to have many health benefits!
According to an article found here (https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-relief/art-20044456) and written by Mayo Clinic staff, laughter can soothe tension, relieve stress response, improve your immune system, relieve pain, and improve your mood.
You don’t have to take my word for it...just find something that makes you laugh and you can see for yourself. So I’ve written this as much for a reminder to myself to turn more of my attention to humor as I have for anyone else. Although...I know you need it too. I’ve read your posts.
If you need a place to start, why not check out: “The Art of Possibility” by the Zanders’. I’ve just added it back to my “current reads” pile. Lord knows I need more laughs and lightheartedness right now too!
Photo Credit: cover of the book
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