Racing around all day, the pace of life and work seems pretty amped up. Schedules, appointments, bills to pay, calls to answer, kids to take care of. Everybody so frenzied and serious. I see people talking on the phone while walking on the sidewalk, driving the car, even while watching TV. Multi, multi, multi tasking. Sometimes I get moving so fast, anticipating the next event or issue, I find myself holding my breath. So when exactly do we slow down enough to breathe? How do we relax?
Any of you who have read a couple of my blog entries will know for me exercise is one way. Being outdoors for the exercise really helps. And that would be WITHOUT the cell phone or beeper. Mindfulness is a skill I practice, and meditation is a life skill I still seek to integrate in my life. I practice it occasionally. My friends in integrative therapies hold courses to teach us how to integrate meditation into our lives. And why am I not there? Because I already have meetings scheduled when they meet. I need to think about that.
So there’s another antidote to the frenzy — laugh at yourself. Wow, do I need to be so serious? Sure, I think I do important things — otherwise why would I do them? But really, laughter is a very therapeutic part of our life. So recently I took a deep breath and acknowledged a comical moment in my life. My hospital colleagues have teased me about two issues. On our hospital intranet my photo appears to ‘advertise’ the publication of the monthly CMO (chief medical officer) report. Some have complained that it’s too frequent and too boring to see me there so often.
Cindy Murray, RN, on East wing then observed to me that I look an awful lot like the cartoon character “Prince Charming” in the movie Shrek. Others have made the same observation — one friend called me as he left the movie theatre and said “it’s unbelievable — you’ve got to see it!” So why not laugh at myself? With a little help from the wizards in Information Services (like Chuck Wells), my face has been replaced with Prince Charming on our intranet. And in case some of you have not seen the movie, the joke is not just the resemblance, it’s that Prince Charming is anything BUT charming — he’s a self centered petulant jerk.
So enjoy the joke with me. I’m too serious. I need to laugh at myself. Go ahead, laugh with me. It’s actually healthy to laugh. Listen to ‘Car Talk’; take a minute to see the humor in life. And don’t take me too seriously.