Do it if You're Cool!

Hello faithful followers. (Apparently I can say that because I have had at least a few people tell me in the past week that I need to write again.) I didn't know anyone was paying attention. Thanks guys. You're the best!

I haven't written lately because I don't know that I've been seeing the world through my "funny eyes" as of late and I just didn't know what to write about. That, and I've been super busy playing laser tag and going to Jump Street with my 11-year-old sister. I'm SO not cut out for that kind of life. But I tell you what, I certainly felt like a god kicking little kids' butts on the laser tag court. Court? Field? War Zone? Whatever. I was SO GOOD at laser tag! And I hadn't played in years! Mainly I feel like this may have been because I was playing against many 8-year-olds, but I don't care. I'll take my kicks where I can get them.

Here's a question for you. In a fight to the death, how many 8-year-olds do you think you could take down before they took you down? Now think about this long and hard. Some of you men out there may think you could pop off an easy 20 at least. But I challenge you to really stop and think about this one. This is a fight TO THE DEATH! They are not tickling you here. They are trying to take your life! They are mean, vicious 8-year-olds. You may be able to outrun them for a while. You may even be able to pick one up and use him as your weapon for a while. But eventually you will be overcome. I think I could do 6. That's right. I'm a realist. This is not my first playground experience. 8-year-olds have so much more energy than I do. I don't think I'd last more than 10 minutes with those little buggers.

Ok. Stop judging me. Admit it. It's funny.

However, kicking little kid butt is not the point of this blog. The point of today's lesson is to teach you all the power of the chant. The chant, for me, originated with a single phrase "Do it if you're cool". Simple at first glance, but when chanted in succession this is a powerful tool for peer pressure. And when you add a fist pump, people are all but powerless to its effect. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't believe peer pressure is actually a good idea. Albeit funny, it apparently gets a lot of people in trouble. So use this phrase wisely. And don't blame me if your friend starts doing drugs because of it. That's what they taught us in elementary school. Peer pressure leads to drugs. Just say no. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. Broken record technique. Almost as effective as the chant itself.

Over the years the chant has grown and changed into something beautiful in my life. I think it really brings people together. I used to chant alone. Now all of my roommates have caught on and chant with me. It spreads like wildfire once people catch on to its catchiness. Things like chanting each others' names in encouragement: "Amy! Amy! Amy!" was one I used recently to encourage my roommate on her licensure exam. I used it both before the exam to encourage victory and as a celebratory technique after the exam was over to congratulate her on passing. Both are equally effective and so simple. I mean, one word says it all!

You can also use the chant to liven up every day activities. It makes mundane tasks exciting. I.e. "Mop that floor! Mop that floor! Mop that floor!". It makes simple vegetables unique and beautiful "Carrots! Carrots! Carrots!". Don't believe me? Try it. Try it in the comfort of your own home right now. Look around you. Start chanting the name of an inanimate object "slippers! slippers! slippers!" Watch them come alive before your eyes! They are not just slippers any more. They are so much more than slippers! They are slippers full of wonder and possibility.

Have a to-do list today? (That sucks. It's Saturday). Try chanting yourself into getting excited about it! "Laundry! Laundry! Laundry!" or the old stand by "Do it if you're cool! Do it if you're cool! Do it if you're cool!" always seems to help in these situations.

You guys think I'm kidding about this. And part of me is. But there is actual evidence that during labor rhythmic breathing and phrasing is actually incredibly beneficial. I'm not sure I will be fist pumping and chanting "Do it if you're cool" in the birth room, but I will certainly be using the same essential technique to work through contractions with a mama. If I repeat the same phrase or set of encouragement over and over in a rhythmic way during a contraction it has a soothing and calming effect. "You are incredible! You are strong! You can do this!" Or whatever phrase is best suited for the mama. Maybe do it if you're cool would be effective. Who knows? If I ever give birth I might ask my doula to chant that with a fist-pump attached. I think a little humor might be just the ticket for me.

Try the chant. I dare you. I double-dog dare you. Do it if you're cool!

This one isn't funny.....

My cousin told me that in order to have a good blog you need to post at least every other day. But I haven't written in a while because I haven't been inspired by anything especially hilarious lately. Epic Fail.

New Tactic: Write whatever the heck I want without worrying about whether or not I'm going to wow my audience with another "funny" blog. I'm not sure why I put 'funny' in quotations. They actually have been funny. I feel like Joey on friends when he doesn't know how to use air quotes correctly.

So today I'm going to talk to you about something not particularly funny. But I feel like I've had a bit of an epiphany lately and I thought I'd share it here.

Apparently people in this world die. Not a new epiphany, I know, but stick with me here. I know that people die. People die every day. Most of us have probably experienced some sort of loss in our lives at some point, some of us more often than others. I, however, have not experienced a whole lot of it in my life. And, with that being said, I don't think I have ever quite known how to love people well when they experience a loss. Especially people I am not close with.

But apparently, God is trying to teach me a little lesson on how to step into people's lives and grief because during this past week I have heard more about suffering and loss than I have in the past year. It started when one of my regulars at my coffee shop came in to the shop to tell us that her mother had passed away. This regular is wonderful. Around my mother's age but I wouldn't say we're close necessarily. However, when she arrived at our shop crying I felt compelled to sit with her. To hug her. To tell her we are here for her in whatever way she needs. And as I sat there next to her I was silently shocked at the way I handled the whole thing. I could have stayed on the other side of the counter and told her how sorry I was, but something in me told me to enter into that grief with her. I realized nothing I could do nor say could take away the pain, but it didn't matter. Pain is meant to be shared and I think the older I get, the more I realize that emotions are not something to run away from, but something to be embraced, even when they're not my own.

Today I had two more encounters. A friend I've known for 2 and a half years opened up about a tragedy in her own family from long ago and a random man walked in to get a cup of coffee after coming home from his father's funeral. With both of these experiences I was surprised at how present I was and how I wasn't afraid to enter into the experience with them. And in turn was able to open up about some of my own grief that I haven't really dealt with over the years. I was surprised to find myself tearing up after talking about it. Usually I think I just push it all down deep inside and refuse to actually deal with any of it. I talk about things that have affected me, but I talk about them nonchalantly; as if they don't actually affect me at all.

I met a man named Sean Sheridan last night. He wrote a book called Testimony Africa. You should look into it. But I'm not here to talk about the book (I haven't actually read it, but I can't wait to read it soon), I'm here to talk about something he said that I find rather profound. He said that the one thing to which we can all relate is suffering. We have all suffered in some way, whether it was loss or tragedy, whether we live here or in Africa or anywhere else for that matter, we have experienced it and it binds us together; gives us something over which to relate. And I think I have found that recently. There is no use running away from pain or from loss or even from emotions. They will find us all eventually. If we embrace them, we can embrace each other. And how beautiful is that?

I think for a while I had been a little afraid that not having any children of my own would negatively affect my ability to support a woman in labor. But I'm realizing more and more that is not the truth. I have been in pain. I have experienced suffering. I have experienced joy and celebration. It doesn't matter if I have experienced labor and birth before. I have experiences I can relate with a mother on and as long as I am willing to enter into that experience with her, it will be powerful and beautiful and everything in between.

So there you go. Food for thought. Speaking of food, I made myself some delicious nachos today. Want to know one of my favorite jokes? "What kind of cheese is not yours?" "NACHO cheese!" HA! Ha Ha HA HA Ha Ha Ha...... It never gets old! I found it on a laffy taffy one time. Did that effectively liven the mood? Oh good.