Some people get annoyed about childish behaviour in adult-hood, which to me is very sad. Frankly we all have a child-within us, and the younger version of us is both harmless and handy.

We’re capable of behaving appropriately and responsibly in our mature years’; yet those of us who can readily tap-into this helpful carefree resource, are in my opinion blessed.

In the wonderful skylark mode, we can afford to not take number one, or daily hurdles too seriously: we can brush and laugh things off. We get to keep our sense of adventure and wonderment, and the joy of which, is both contagious and beneficial to our mental health. Laughter is good for us, and its free medicine for the soul. It is a gift we can enjoy sharing.

It doesn’t wear-out either; it’s vibrancy and ability to lighten an atmosphere is potent, and it is as strong as any of nature’s elements. It even has the capacity to help reduce emotional and physical pain, and it’s entirely free…

My best friend and I, still find it hilarious to include an innocent sketch of our old French teacher, in all the correspondence we send one another. Because he used to wear half-rimmed glasses, we’d decided that he looked like an owl. He was also called Mr. Woods. Hibou, is French for owl, and because we boldly shared the innocent joke with him, he happily joined – in with our banter: every lesson we’d ask him the French for owl, and his kind eyes would twinkle affectionately at us:

“You two are mischievous, you know it’s Hibou”. His eyes would crest.

Another friend finds anything to do with a stray sock a complete rib-tickler. I’ve only got to leave one strategically placed before her visit, and she’ll literally be rolling about on the floor – laughing.

I have a friend who is a top commercial lawyer, she works with many international companies, yet we’ll wile -away hours laughing about a play on words. We’ve used the same one since her daughter was seven, and that was over a decade ago. This same glorious friend is also the unofficial champion of the kid’s game: Candy Crush. She loves it so much, that she frequently has to wait for the company who create it, to build new levels, especially for her!

My daughter may work for the emergency services, yet she too is an avid fan of childishness. We’ve spent many a joyous time re-creating the lyrics to well-known songs, and she’s great at comedic voices. My son-in-law too, works in the same sector, and he thoroughly enjoys animating his body to look over a shoulder. I taught him this as a way to avoid being served certain foods that he’s not keen on. He now uses it regularly with my daughter:

“Mum, you know that huge jar of sweets you bought Oli the other day. Well, he’s wolfed the lot down, and when I mentioned it, he just looked over his shoulder!”

We all have our problems and worries, but it doesn’t mean to say that we should sacrifice our childish humour. Laughter is universal, and everyone can understand it. In my opinion it’s a delightful form of mindfulness.

I hope you find this helpful. With SUNNY wishes, Emma x