Thankful Thanksgiving Day 11: Silliness

After I finished writing yesterday’s post, I realized that today was Veteran’s Day. But I decided to keep it there, give the Marine a special highlight. After the Navy, they are the coolest branch.

This week has been pretty sappy and serious so far so I think it’s appropriate that I say thank you to the thing that balances out seriousness: Silliness.

Without silliness, the world would be a pretty drab place. Humor has a lot of positive virtues but I am not just talking about humor. Being silly is a state unto itself. Silly doesn’t have to necessarily be funny, though it usually is.  Humor can often be about making others laugh, which while a worthy goal, is about achieving some goal.

Silliness is about just enjoying yourself and not caring about how others see you. It’s about just relaxing and being yourself. It’s finding joy in insignificant things, or finding perspective on very serious things.

There are times where silliness is inappropriate, but far less than the world would have you believe. Most people try and grow up out of their silliness.  If you can’t put on a silly hat and feel better about life, then I feel sorry for you. Clearly, you need more silly hats in your life.

So maybe that was a little more serious then I intended. Have a picture of a guy who understands the value of silliness: