This morning

 

Image description: a cartoon bird asks 'what are you throwing away' as s/he watches another bird moving boxes with wrapping that says things like 'not good enough,' ugly,' 'failure,' that bird says 'oh, just some old ideas and beliefs that were taking up too much space.(I do not own and did not create this image, I can't cite the source ... If the owner wants it removed please contact me in the comments)

This morning I was awakened by our new neighbour, I looked at the clock and it was just after 4 in the morning. "Getting an early start on the day?" I thought as I snuggled deeper into my blankets and pillow. But. I was awake, groggy, but awake and my mind started to wander as it does. I found that I needed to do some shifting of the boxes that fill up my heart and mind.

Last evening we had had dinner with Marissa and the girls. I hadn't seen them in a few weeks and my gosh are they tall! Not to worry we are following lockdown rules. Joe and I are very careful about going out and any interactions that we have while out. Marrissa and the kids are the same, we all respect this virus and know that caution is our best defence. And of course, we numbered 5 the legal limit.

Joe and I had planned to show them something we found on the BroadwayHD channel called "the Going Wrong Show". Each episode is about a play put on by a community theatre group that goes horribly wrong. It's devastatingly funny. We got it all set up and then, hoping against hope that they'd like it, we pressed play. Well, it was like a laughter bomb had gone off in here, the girls laughed long and loud and completely unrestrained. Of course, we did too, having seen it before was not even slightly like seeing it with others.

We were drained ... yes, we served ham for dinner. Appropriate, no?

That memory was with me as I surveyed the work that I had to do. I found built-up resentment that had to be moved, pessimism that needed to be moved to make way for the door to joy which had become blocked, it took some time but I got up feeling like important work had been done. I listened again to my neighbour, chirping way from the branch just outside our window and I'm sure the song sung was sweeter.

Laughter isn't just a release, it's also a request to reexamine your life and your attitude and your beliefs. Sometimes we all carry with us things best left behind.