Note:  If you having trouble viewing this, please click here.

“Fear less, hope more; Eat less, chew more; Whine less, breathe more; Talk less, say more; Love more, and all good things will be yours” ~ Swedish Proverb

Our world is an amazing place.

I believe that statement very deeply.

That’s also a large part of the “why” behind my work with The Levity Project.

The Levity Project is a social movement to foster laughter, play, and celebration in our daily lives.  We engage in both public and online events to foster this deeper sense of celebration. 

Since beginning, The Levity Project has brought public laughter and celebration across the United States, including:

• Maine
• California
• Wisconsin
• New York
• Florida
• Colorado
• New Mexico
• Illinois
• and more

Online events (involving people from all reaches of our world!) have been created:

• Car dancing
• Smiling

I have the honor of working (is it really work, if we’re talking laughter and celebration?) on this with two very amazing women — Katie West and Ina Lukas.  Together, it is our goal to bring this sense of celebration and play more into the forefront for everyone.  These different Levity Project events (both online and on location) are our way of doing this.

We need your help.

Planning, creating, organizing, and traveling to these events — it all takes resources. 

We have recently been selected as a semi-finalist in The Positivity Project!  This is a very meaningful honor, and one we are very excited about! 

This is also where we’re looking for your help.  From the list of semi-finalists, funds will be awarded to several of these projects, based upon voting from people across the world.

We need your vote!

Help us continue bringing The Levity Project to ALL reaches of our world!

It’s as easy as clicking this link –> The Levity Project Power of Positivity entry –> and then clicking on the “Vote” button.

Note:  There is no registration required to vote, and you can vote one time/day.  Voting ends on November 14th, 2010. (hint: vote often!!)

From Ina, Katie, and I — thank you, every one of you — who have read this, shared it, participated in a past event, provided encouragement along the way, and just generally have brought more laughter and celebration into this world!! 

You are all so, so awesome!

With gratitude,
Lance

~ Comments Closed ~

photo credit: rogiro

“Enjoy life. This is not a dress rehearsal.” ~ Anonymous

The year was 1969.  I entered this world and life in human form began.  A life that was full of moments.…of being truly in the present.

Do you remember learning to walk?  Or talk?  Or eat? 

And what about laughter — didn’t it just happen spontaneously?

Okay, so maybe recalling these early life memories isn’t fully possible.  We see it, though, when we see a baby — today — doing these things. 

Things each one of us did, too.

Life began — for all of us — with moments where we just tried things.  We just went “out there” and did it. 

Did we fall?  Did our words come out jumbled?  Did we get food on our face?

YES!

And you know what — none of that stopped us!  We would just keep on doing it — and getting better each time.

Oh…and laughing…I’m pretty sure we all did lots of that!!  Even if life seemed hard or challenging…laughter was still there.

How about today?

Our life is now.

NOW.

Do you fully grasp that?  Do I fully grasp that?

As a baby in this world…this concept was so natural to all of us.

As we have grown older, do we always remember that?

Yarmouth Clam Festival:  Yarmouth, Maine ~ July 2010

If you are having trouble viewing this, please click here.

This video, created in conjunction with The Levity Project, epitomizes truly living in the moment.

Note:  I’m in there, on one of those big blue bouncy hippity hop balls!

Everyone involved in this — everyone! — went into this event with some unknowing of exactly how this would all happen.  And yet, all of these amazing people — from all walks of life — came together to create this moment…a moment of joy for all those awaiting the start of the Yarmouth Clam Festival parade. 

There were moments of confusion.  There were moments of chaos.  There were moments of “last minute change”. 

…just like that baby we all were…learning to walk, to talk, to live…

“Joy is increased by spreading it to others” ~ Robert Murray McCheyne

And then, it came together! 

Joy! 

Celebration!

Laughter!

Living!

As I reflect back on this moment, I’m reminded of the words of Abraham Lincoln…

“And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count.  It’s the life in your years.” ~ Abraham Lincoln

Today is YOUR day! 

This moment is YOUR moment!

How will you live it?

Note:  If you are having difficulty viewing this, please click here.

“There are hundreds of languages in the world, but a smile speaks them all.” ~ Author unknown

I’m walking down the street.  Someone smiles.

Someone smiles! 

…and I feel an instant lift in my own spirit…a connection (if but for a brief second) to another…a connection to something greater than just myself…

The power of something so simple, so free, so a part of each of us.…

…the power of a smile!

Please enjoy the video above, created in conjunction with The Levity Project.

One world, one smile.

As you go forth in your days, in the moments that are your life, may the smile that is within your soul shine brightly.  And may you also experience the joy that comes from the genuine smiles of those whose paths you cross. 

Peace.

Love.

Unity.

photo credit: *bri*

“Because of your smile, you make life more beautiful.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

S M I L E !!

…for no other reason than you can.

Do you know that person? You know the one…always has a smile on her face. Or maybe it’s that you see his smile get bigger as you approach. 

In that instant, there’s a warmth. A warmth of connection, a feeling of goodness, a touch of love. 

It’s such a small thing really. We don’t have to say anything, We don’t have to exert a whole lot of energy. We just have to shift a few facial muscles! And in that shift, life IS more beautiful. For those who cross our paths, and for ourselves. All from one simple little thing…a smile!

Try it right now!!  Smile (or smile a little bigger, if you already are smiling)!  Let that touch of beauty that comes from this simple act be a part of your being…now…in this moment. 

Smile…because you can!

Join The Movement
There’s a new micromovement coming, and YOU are invited to join in!

What is a micromovement? A micromovement is YOU, doing an activity locally where you are, recording that activity, and then submitting the video to have it become part of something greater – with people from all over the world.

What:   Smile Micromovement
Who:    Everyone!
When:  Videos being collected through June 26, 2010
Details: Create a short video of yourself (alone, with friends, with family, etc) smiling.   We’ll also be including locations of where everyone is from .  Please send that to me here.
Ideas include:

• Smiling the whole time
• Facial expression going from more serious to smiling
• Smiles turning into laughter

Length:    A short 5 – 10 second video.
Submission: To submit your video, click here.

NOTE:  The Levity Project video, of everyone smiling together, will debut in July.

(Special note:  that is NOT a self-portrait up above!!!!)

“Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face.” ~ Victor Hugo

Do you ever have one of those moments where you maybe question if something is the right thing to do?

You hear what your heart is saying, and yet — it can still feel like you’re putting yourself out there.  Or maybe it feels like “will this be weird?”.  Perhaps it costs too much.  Or a million other excuses.  Does this ever happen to you?  

It happens to me.

Sometimes I fight it, and I DON’T do what sings and dances in my heart.  (have you ever been there?)

Sometimes, though.…sometimes.…

I really listen to that voice that speaks deeply from my heart.

Fly halfway across the country (New York City).  Get hotel.  To laugh.

Couldn’t I just step outside my backdoor, and do the same thing?

In reality, it was much more than that.

It was a wonderful opportunity to connect up with sweet friends from here at the Jungle (Hi Amy!  Hi Katie!  Hi Ina!).  Make new friends (Hi EVERYONE!).  And…perhaps the best of all…precious time with my daughter (who, for the record, is growing up way too fast).

Be a part of this moment.  The Levity Project — NYC.  And a celebration of World Laughter Day.

It was all right, and it was all good.

Except there was this little thing.  Or maybe it wasn’t little at all.   

Picture this:  My daughter and I exploring the sights and sounds of this great city (read:  shopping).  Now, picture this:  bomb threat in Times Square.  And we are there.  

Well, not as this threat was discovered.  We wandered into the Time Square area a couple of hours after the initial discovery of this.  For a thirteen year old girl, hearing the words “bomb threat” set off feelings of alarm.  (and why didn’t I feel that way?  Have I become indifferent to all the “noise” out there?)

Laughter event planned for the very next morning.

Including in a visit to that very spot of the bomb threat.

Would laughter feel trivial in the face of what had just happened?  

Or.

Or, would laughter heal?

Laughter for no reason at all, except to bring an extra sense of peace and joy to the world (or — at least the people around us).
 

Note:  If you are having trouble viewing this, please click here.

Laughter as the balm for our souls.

And we laughed.   

Some who looked the other way…pretending we weren’t there.  Strange looks.

And we laughed.

And there was joy.  Energy.  Smiles.  Giggles.  Belly laughs.  Excitement.

And for a moment, there was this real sense that the strangers passing in that day were more than strangers.  They were united as part of humankind. 

Brothers and sisters of this species we call human. 

Perhaps that moment lasted no longer than a few minutes that we were together.  Or perhaps…some of those took that feeling that had touched them…took that with them through their day.  Or maybe even beyond.

It was good.  Meaningful.  And the right thing on that day, in that moment, and at that place.

Laugh!

For no reason at all!   And feel your soul smiling back at you…

“At the height of laughter, the universe is flung into a kaleidoscope of new possibilities.” ~ Jean Houston

Whoa!  I look at this picture of myself and laugh!  Go ahead, join in WITH me!!!  (honestly, I DON’T wear that tiara anymore!!!) (and…I did NOT wear that lipstick!!!)

Laughter is a pretty wonderful thing!   Hey, I am ALL FOR IT!!  How about you?  Does laughter rock your boat?

ANNOUNCEMENT:  Today I am officially joining Katie West and Ina Lukas in partnership with creating the next phase of The Levity Project.  I will continue to write here in this space, and can now also be found at The Levity Project, and more directly involved in the events and direction of where that program is going. 

The Levity Project is a social movement to foster buoyancy, laughter, play, and freedom as the new paradigm in social design. We engage in public acts of levity in which people gather in a flash setting to en-lighten the energy of a public place and those within it.  These events are designed to foster a sense of lightness and connection to all who are present.

Katie and Ina are both incredibly talented women, and it is an honor to work beside them in bringing more laughter, play, and celebration into our world! 

Stop by and check out what The Levity Project is all about!!

And speaking of The Levity Project…check out what’s coming up! 

World Laughter Day!

The Levity Project will be there!  And celebrating!!  In style!! 

When:  Sunday, May 2nd, 2010, 10 AM — 12 noon (ET)
Where:  New York City, NY
Who:  YOU!!!  Join Katie, Ina, and I in a celebration of laughter and life!
Cost:  FREE

Are you near New York City?  Do you know someone who is?  Come by yourself and join the fun!  Come with your family!  Come with your friends!  All are invited to join in this celebration!!  A celebration of laughter and fun!!  And…the more the merrier!!  Share this with anyone you know who is remotely close to NYC — let’s rock the day with laughter, joy, and love to the world!!

To sign up, click here. 

Details of our meeting location will be emailed out to everyone prior to the event. 

Thank you for your support here in the Jungle, and I look forward to connecting on an even deeper level both here and at The Levity Project!

Note:  If you are having difficulty viewing this, please click here.

“Omnia vivunt, omnia inter se conexa.“
“Everything is alive; everything is interconnected.“
~ Cicero

Do you ever sense how truly connected we are to one another?  How our actions, however big or small, however positive or negative…in some way, impact others? 

The Levity Project:  Car Dancing Micro Movement

I have been working with Katie West and Ina Lukas, of The Levity Project, in creating the first Levity Project Micro Movement. 

Car Dancing:  A celebration!  People from around the world joining together.  In their corner of the world…dancing!  In cars.  Down sidewalks.  In homes.  This video is their dance.  It’s much more than that though.  This video is our dance.…for all who watch it. Celebrate!  And let that dance in you, whatever it is, take new steps into what is possible!

What Does This All Really Mean?
Both Katie and Ina, from here at The Levity Project, played such important roles in taking this car dancing concept and envisioning what it could become.  For me personally, I know that doing this became much more than just some little dance in the car at a stoplight on my way through a day. 

So, what has this all meant to Katie and Ina?  Read below, as I take a few minutes to ask them some of questions on the car dancing micro movement.

1.  What were your expectations going into this car dancing micro-movement?
Katie: My hope was to have fun and to spread the idea that by allowing ourselves to be seen having fun, we give others the permission to do the same.  I also envisioned the video and thought about people watching it together and smiling the same way they do when they see someone dancing at a stoplight.  My hope was that it would create a ripple effect of positivity that might fill in where moments of negativity had been in people’s lives.

Ina: I was hoping it would be fun and that people would have a great time celebrating their day.  I was hoping that people would be inspired by it and get to experience other bystanders be inspired by them.  But what happened as a result of it was far more profound than I ever imagined.  What I did not realize is how far this would take people out of their comfort zone.  Nor did I imagine the amount of inner change it would create for many of the participants.
 
2.  On this journey over the last several weeks, what have you personally experienced from your own moments of car dancing?
Katie: The idea for this micro movement came a while ago when I was dancing at a stop light.  Usually, I stopped dancing when a car pulled up next to me, but that day the music was so great and I was feeling so happy, I kept dancing.  After a moment or two, I realized that the two guys in the car next to me were not only watching me but dancing heartily along.  As we drove away, they gave me a thumbs up.  It was so touching and made me feel unexpectedly connected to the world around me.

What happened after launching the idea of The Levity Project’s Car Dancing Micro-Movement was that I started doing it more intentionally every time I was at a stoplight.  It felt like inviting people to a party that they really wanted to go to but were nervous to be the first ones to arrive.  It felt great to be the one kicking off a party at each intersection.

Ina: What I’ve found by being freer in my dance, is that it breaks down the walls between people.  We live in a car society where everyone is cruising around in their own worlds, disconnected from everyone else.  When you share the joy that comes out of you when you dance, you break through the barrier of the car shell, and you touch someone or make them smile and bring a human connection to their day.

The other day I was stopped at a red light next to a guy who had a little dog in his lap that was looking through the window at us.  Because of my new found courage and dropping of my walls, I rolled down both windows on his side, he rolled down his, and for a long two minute red light, my kids and I had a delightful conversation with the guy and oohed and aaahhed over his dog.  My kids were thrilled.  He was shining from ear to ear, and then we drove off to the rest of our days.  I will never forget that moment, and it never would have happened had I not taken part in this event.
 
3.  What feelings come up for you as you have watched the video’s that have been shared by others?
Katie:  As I watch it, what stands out to me is this great feeling of interconnectedness.  And with that, I feel hope.  In a world where we are interconnected, no one is falling through the cracks.  We are there for each other.  We are aware that we are all a part of the same web so if one of us is not shining, the integrity of our whole web is compromised.  And in this way, it benefits us all to look out for others.   Watching this video makes me feel that this interconnectedness is possible on a global level.  This makes me feel a great sense of light-heartedness. 

Ina: The first video that came in from Canada sent goosebumps up my neck.  It was that moment of, “Oh my goodness!  People are actually doing this!  And, look, they’re really happy!”  It was totally exhilarating.  Instantly I felt the sense of  knowing that it’s our own inner happiness, collectively celebrated, that has the ability to create a global shift.  The key for me was in celebrating it with purpose, knowing that all of these other people were out there dancing in their day together.  It made me realize the potential power that creating this concept of a Micro-Movement can have on global scale.  When you take away the time and location barriers, any person any where in the world can take action as an agent of social change, and be banded together with the rest of The Levity Project Players as one movement immersed in the power and importance of fun.

I love to be inspired, and each person that took part in this was an inspiration to me.  I was moved by each video because almost everyone that did this stepped out of their comfort zone.  For some people it was WAY out of their comfort zone.    But as you can see by everyone’s happiness in the video, they all received some sense of freedom from doing it.  That’s the miracle that always happens on the other side of your block.  When you let go of fear and go for it, magic happens that wouldn’t have happened if you didn’t take action with that small leap of faith. 
 
4.  You step out your front door tomorrow morning.  What’s different, because you have “car danced” in public?  (i.e. what’s the lasting effect from doing this)
Katie:  There is this small feeling of “I can do that”.  By “car dancing”, which can feel like a step outside our comfort zone, there is a new feeling that maybe there are other things one can try in our life.  And the comfort zone becomes wider and wider and so does our life.

And I believe that a sense of contribution comes from it.  Once you see someone’s face light up because they see you car dancing and expressing that levity, it is so evident that you are the one who created that change for that person at the stoplight or wherever we are.  And as the observer drives off, they might have a smile on their face or be laughing.  Who knows what happens next?  In a better mood, do they call someone they have been thinking about and share a laugh with them?  Did an argument just end in the car next to you because they started laughing and even dancing with you?  What ripple effects just happened in the world, because one of us was willing to boldly express the joy we have within?

Ina: For me, so much has changed because of this.  When I step out my door in the morning, I am far more aware of the potential for creating celebration in each moment.  At the times when I am driving, spaced out on autopilot, lost in some looping thought of what I have to do, or what’s going on in my life, past or future, it suddenly hits me that, ”Oh, wait!  I’m alive right now in this moment and why am I not dancing?” and I crank the tunes and dance.  And I do it boldly (especially at four way stops). 

It’s made me more present to the present moment, realizing that we all have our things we do on autopilot… driving to work, picking up the kids, and we often just lose ourselves in mundane thoughts in those moments.  But when you think of how you could have that same ride to work, and instead of just worrying about how you’re going to pay your bills, you can make someone else smile or brighten their day.  You’ve just created a totally different journey for yourself.  Same commute, but now you’re an agent of social change at the wheel.  Maybe that person didn’t know how they were going to pay their bills either, but they saw you dancing and they saw you in your freedom and in that moment, they felt relief.  Or even happiness.  Or even the feeling that everything was going to be OK.  THAT is powerful stuff!  I am embracing those moments now and my life is becoming more deliciously rich (and fun!) because of it.

Lance’s Commentary:  You have both touched upon that “something deeper” that draws upon the voice of our soul…that dance that is within each of us.  Perhaps it’s not “car dancing” for everyone.  It’s there, though, within all of us…that something which brings that deeper sense of bliss.  And when we are reaching that spot within us, we DO change the world around us — in amazing and beautiful ways!

Want to know when the next Levity Project events are being planned, and how you can get involved?  Sign up today, and you will receive updates on upcoming events.

photo credit: ooberayhay

“We dance for laughter, we dance for tears, we dance for madness, we dance for fears, we dance for hopes, we dance for screams, we are the dancers, we create the dreams.” ~ Anonymous

Preface

What is that dance in you?

Typical days.  Consumed by deadlines.  Commutes.  Bills.  Running errands.  Playing family chaueffer.

It’s so easy to get caught up in the mundane of daily living. 

Does it have to be that way, though?  Does it, really, have to be that way?

What if.…

We open ourselves up to the dance that is there within our hearts…that touches upon our soul.

It’s there.

And It Begins

An interesting thing has happened recently. 

I have been working with Katie West and Ina Lukas, from The Levity Project, on a micro-movement. 

Car dancing. 

Dancing in your car.  Or…really, dancing on your way throughout your day (however that might happen).

And this is about so much more than just dancing through the moments of your day. 

Think about this:  Would it feel “normal” to dance in your car (or walking down the sidewalk, or navigating the aisles of your favorite grocery store) ?  Or would this feel “weird”, “different”, “being seen”??

Why is it that we hold ourselves back?

There is a dance in each of us.  The dance to paint.  The dance to sing.   The dance to be a mother.  The dance to coach that little league team.  The dance to join the local community band.  The dance to dance.  The dance of passion.  Passion for whatever it is that makes our hearts sing!

To Dance

Car dancing. 

In the garage…in the driveway…it feels so safe…to let my hair down.  No one around…and it becomes so easy to be “me”…with wild abandon.

How about…

At a stoplight.  Other cars around.  Or walking down the street.  Or waiting in line for the next cashier. 

Exposed.

To be freely expressive.  To “dance”.  In that place where I wouldn’t normally dance.  Not alone anymore. 

Raise my arms. Move my body.  Bop my head. 

Surrounded by others…in the normalness of daily life. 

And to dance?

To express joy, to let the music engulf me…is both strange and a challenge.

Why?

Because this is not the expected place to dance?  Because others might *gasp* see me?  Because no one else is doing this?  Perhaps I have created some sort of unwritten standard in my head…one that says I should “fit in”, that there’s a place for everything (and this is not it), that it is easier to not risk embarrassment for the song in my heart.

The Cloud Is Lifted

Doing this thing.  Dancing in public…in a non-dance setting.  The car.  The sidewalk.  The neighborhood convenience store. 

Doing it.

Dancing.  In public.

Wow!

Getting beyond the fear, the wondering eyes, the thoughts in my head.

Everything seems suddenly lighter.  The sky is brighter.  Aggravations melt away.  This mini-celebration does wonders!  I feel like the world is “right” and “okay”.  I see more of the humanity behind the masks of those around me.  Life is good.

And Such Is Life

Car dancing.  One small thing.  One deeply moving experience.

Life.

Mine.  Yours. 

How am I living that life?  How are you living that life?

There is a dance in each of us.  In you.  In me. 

Something that sets our heart on fire.  Something that makes us each dance for life.

What is that dance in you?

Let your dance out.  Be you.  That incredible, amazing you that sings and dances from your heart!

Join The Movement

The Levity Project is creating a compilation video of YOUR submitted car dancing moments!  We have an amazing sampling from all over the world so far, young and old alike — getting “out there” and dancing.  Creating change in themselves.  And touching in some way, those who witness this dance of joy.   Are you up for it?
**
•    Create a short video (10 — 20 seconds) of yourself (and others) car dancing (or dancing in whatever mode of transportation you use).
•    Click here to submit your video. (Please submit all videos by Saturday, February 27, 2010)
•    Contact me via the Contact Us page, with your name and location (to be included in the video).
**
NOTE:  The Levity Project video, of everyone together, will  premiere in early March.
 

“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children … to leave the world a better place … to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Today I’m joined by a special someone who brings joy, laughter, and caring into this world is some very amazing ways.  Please help me welcome Katie West!  Katie is the brilliance behind The Levity Project (more about that below), where I first had the opportunity to connect with her this past summer.   She also has a coaching service, Levity Life Coaching, encompassing life coaching and laughter yoga.  Today Katie and I sit down and talk about her life, and how she has arrived at where she is today.

NOTE: We’re having a give away here today!  For the price of signing up for email updates from The Levity Project, one lucky winner will be chosen at random (on January 31st) to receive a complimentary one hour levity coaching session with Katie.  (note: signup is on the right-hand sidebar of her website)

In addition, if you are interested in becoming a Certified Laughter Coach, Katie is offering 50% off the early bird discount of this certification to the first person to contact her, with the words “I want to be a laughter Coach ha ha ha ha” included.  Several sessions are forming, please visit The Levity Institute for details.

Please read along as I ask Katie some challenging questions!

1. Tell us a little bit about who “you” are (family, career, any special life experiences you’d like to share, etc.)
I am an eternal adventurer.  I am hard wired to see every experience as a new journey leading to unexpected results.  So much so, that I parent that way, work that way, love that way.  More recently, I have realized what a meditation that has become in my life. No matter what is going on I try to see it as an explorer would look at a new land with all of the excitement of the potential trials and celebrations.

I probably have this approach because I led wilderness sailing trips for many years up the coast of Maine with teenagers, as well as living on a boat for the better part of several years.  I think this time period of being a wilderness guide truly shaped my outlook on life.  I had always been a very spontaneous person which was helpful in adapting to the challenges of being a guide and captain of a boat, yet what the experience impressed most upon me was the importance of good planning, being organized and having a clear vision of where one wants to go.  I think it somehow created a balance of my two sides.

I love wilderness expeditions because they truly bring us face to face with our “Oh no!” moments and provide an opportunity to move beyond them so that what has held us back is now no longer holding us.

Also, it has been so useful to approach parenting this way as I am a mom of two children, two and four years old.  I have joked so many times that each day of parenting somehow holds inside it both ecstasy and insurmountable challenge.   And the only way through it, is to allow the experience to run its course, or better said, to see myself as fully in the flow of the river of what is happening.  This includes treasured  moments such as once when I was gave my kids my homemade finger paint (which I was so proud of) only to watch it get flung to the floor, ceiling, windows, and onto little bellies!   Within that moment was everything: the delight of creating, sharing, playing, and the challenge of cleaning, cleaning, cleaning!  (Note: I finally gave up and photographed the mischief.)

My family means everything to me; I want my children to grow up to be joyful, confident, thoughtful, and open minded people.  And in order to do this it is how my husband and I must live to set the example. 

In this way, my work as a coach helps people to discover or re-discover their inner light-heartedness, or levity, is a great reminder to enjoy the moment….good or challenging and allow a sense of buoyancy to reign knowing there will be a new discovery momentarily

One of my stickers for The Levity Project says, “Powered by Laughter” and naturally, I have it on everything, my car, my coffee mug, my computer.  And I cannot tell you how fabulous it has been when I am in a grumbly mood to go into the coffee shop and hand over my mug-only to see the reminder to allow laughter to be my fuel and not whatever state I might be in that is not serving me, my family, or the world.    It is an instant shift! It really helps me to have this accountability on those inevitably grumpy days.

Lance’s Commentary:  Hey, I think I have a t-shirt that says “Powered by Laughter”!  (thanks Katie!!)   And I have to think that the whole sailing experience really helped to shape the foundation from which you base living on today.  Very cool, adventure girl!  Let the mischief continue…

2. You have started a movement called The Levity Project.  Tell us about the inspiration behind that, and how long you have been doing this.
The Levity Project started in March 2009 when I was in New York City for a weekend.  While I was there, I had this fantastic experience on the subway.  As I was riding a long, I had my headphones on and was dancing a little bit with my eyes closed.  I began to smile this huge grin (it was one of the first times away from both children-so I was in awe of the time alone).  When I opened my eyes, I realized people were staring and not smiling back-some even frowning at me.  And I simultaneously felt deeply connected to everyone and quite sad that it would pain people to see someone happy and enjoying her day.

That weekend, I vowed to myself that I would do something to make a difference.  I had never seen myself before as an activist of any sort.  But I knew I wanted to actively be a part of a movement that supports the idea of living with more joy, laughter, and play.  Immediately, the name “The Levity Project” came to me…because I had been kicking around the word “levity” in my head for a couple of months.  I had just learned that the old (rare as of 1913 Merriam’s) definition of levity was “buoyancy-being lighter than that which surrounds us”.   What struck me about this is that the idea of buoyancy does not deny what is hard or pretend that it is not there, it just means we have a right to feel freer or lighter than what is happening.  What was also interesting is that today’s dictionary definition of levity sounds unappealing, “inappropriate humor, lack of appropriate seriousness, irreverence.”  How could we forget and dismiss the definition of gaiety and buoyancy? 

That was when I began to joke that my goal was to bring buoyancy back!  The Levity Project’s goal is to create a paradigm shift to a lighter and more buoyant society.  My hope is that by engaging in public acts of laughter, play and celebration, we can inspire a re-emergence into collective joy.  Ultimately, I think it is about awakening to what can be.

Lance’s Commentary:  Katie, I’ve had the opportunity twice now, to experience a “levity project” in action.  One with your assistance in setting it up, and another together with you.  Both of these events are real (reel?) highlights from the past year!  And if they even make one person’s day just a little brighter, it is so worth it (and I’ll say that my day was definitely brighter after both of these experiences!).  Hey, I even have these really cool umbrella hats I got out of the deal!! 

3. You are a season of the year – what would you choose and why?
A season of the year?  I love them all for different reasons.  In fact, when my daughter was born, one of the songs being played was Sting’s song that has the lyrics “All four seasons in one day”.  We gave her four names (including her last) to represent the different seasons she holds within herself as we all do.

For me, I guess I must say late spring when it is warm enough to play outside but still breezy enough to feel a deep gratitude for the warmth coursing through my body.   I love the flowers emerging and the way everything is electric at being alive again.  And at the same time, give me a cozy, fall day full of poetry and woodsy walks through the leaves and I am a happy camper.  I pretty much adore the cycle of the seasons.  Since I live in Maine that is a very good thing to love!

Lance’s Commentary:  Katie…this is deep.  The seasons we all hold within ourselves, wow!  I keep thinking of the yearly life cycle of a tree — and how we really are like that as we travel through our own lives, as the seasons come and go.   

4. Laughter and joy are a big part of what you are all about (I think that’s so cool!).  Tell us about those moments when you might not be feeling that joyful. 
When I am not feeling joyful (and it is a time that I am simply feeling like a stick in the mud) I laugh.  No joke. Ha ha!  I get my kids to laugh.  The practice of laughter without humor has really (gasp) changed my life or at least how I approach it.  I know that by saying ha ha, I can CHOOSE to feel differently, to feel better(since our brain does not know the difference between real and fake laughter).  With a tool as easy as laughter,  I have to really WANT my foul mood to stay in it.  What it takes is getting over my ego, my pride which is usually guilty for making me feel like a stick in the mud anyway. 

Once I am able to I connect to my deeper desire that I honestly and truly would rather feel joyful than grumpy, all I need to do is practice laughing …and really, everything is suddenly in better perspective!  Plus, as parents know…if you try to be grumpy when you have little kids, it really does not work, because they just get grumpy or whiny too.  What is worse than dealing with our own grumpy mood than having to deal with another’s?! 

I try to see myself in those moments as a change agent with the empowerment to shift the winds of my mood.  When I am feeling truly sad due to something challenging or grief-filled, I offer myself patience and breath to allow it to move through my body.  I have found in my coaching work that the tendency people have is to deny these deeper feelings, but I believe that there are key times when it can be useful to allow them to flow as they need to during a difficult time and then later reset the course we want to chart.

Lance’s Commentary:  Well, that’s a great example of the therapeutic benefits of laughter.  It just makes us feel good! 

5.  You kiss your husband, and instantly the two of you are transported to a strange new place, with nothing for the two of you to worry about.  Where might this be?  Why?
I have been there before but it is the first place I thought of.  Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands in Washington State.  Hands down.  It is where I wish to be every time I get one of those magical transportable kisses.  To me, Orcas Island is heaven on Earth!   Why?  Like falling in love with someone who knows why?  There is just some part of me that feels perfectly aligned with all the other parts of me when I am there.  You will have to go and see for yourself, but call me first I have great recommendations of what to do!

Lance’s Commentary:  My family and I had the opportunity to vacation in the Pacific Northwest a couple of years ago.  While we didn’t make it to the San Juan Islands, we did fall in love with the whole area and the beauty that is there.  Next time we go, I have a new destination to visit…and I’ll be calling YOU!

6.  In the strange way the life sometimes works, you are suddenly asked to assist some ambitious city in a pilot program to bring more fun and joy into people’s daily lives.  What do you do?
I would create a Levity Pilot Program which would be unveiling the four part system I use with my clients that leads to feeling lighter and more joyful.  I would create The Levity Project Centers where people gather to create their own public Levity events, listen to speakers, train how to laugh for no reason and re-learn the art of play as adults. 

These centers would become a new bastion for the community.  And the part that people would love the most is The Levity Project events that would happen all over the city spontaneously; people laughing in a Laughter Flash, wearing umbrella hats and smiling at each other, bouncing on hippity hop bouncy balls, playing kazoos.  These things may seem goofy, but they aren’t.  They are expressions of light heartedness and our mutual desire for it. 

The goal for the program would be to dilute the power and attention we have given stress by placing emphasis on something else truly and deeply important: a sense of deeply connected joy and lightheartedness.

Lance’s Commentary:  I lived in Kalamazoo for a while.  The word “kazoo” always reminds me of living there!  And I think we even had a couple of kazoo’s at the time…maybe it’s time to get a couple more!   On the art of play, we have a game we play, especially during the cold winter months, called “garbage”.  It involves lots of running, lots of laughs, and is a pretty good workout too!  The “art of play”…what a great message to get out there!  Keep bouncing, Katie!

7.  In Maine terms you land the big lobster.  In baseball terms, you win the World Series.  In Katie terms, you?
Well, I would say that up till recently, it has been getting on the “Oprah” show! …and then it switched to “Ellen”.  And I will thoroughly enjoy the days when both of those happen.  But right now, it is about creating a system that empowers people to connect with their right brains-the side that allows for the rejuvenation and immersion of play, the freedom of laughter, and the inspiration that comes with wonder and gratitude. 

The big lobster would be seeing The Levity Project as an International movement in which people celebrate together inter-generationally and cross culturally.  And it would be having The Levity Institute become a respected forum for new developments and research on how to live more light heartedly and also to have it become a gathering place from which the next generation of social leaders can emerge and share their messages.

Lance’s Commentary:  On the contrary…it would be Ellen hitting the world series of talk shows, having you on there! 

8. Tell us one unexpected thing that has happened to you, from going down this path of starting the “The Levity Project”?
Without a doubt, it has been watching how people are touched by the idea.  How clearly I can tell it feeds some part of them whether they are at the event or watching a video.  I get emails from people thanking me.  And sometimes I just think, “Why are they thanking me, we are just laughing, playing, and celebrating!”  I have met amazing people and it has helped me to realize that I am on a path and that I have to keep going to see where this adventure leads me and above all trust that it will take me, and hopefully our world, to a new place.

Lance’s Commentary:  One unexpected thing for me from you going down this path, Katie…is a friendship that is pretty special.  Keep on celebrating life, you are touching lives in very deep ways! 

9. If you had to pick one thing as your greatest achievement, what would it be (and why)?
You may laugh…but really birth still ranks above everything.  I mean, a human being came out of me.  That was crazy!  And it happened twice!  What also moves me is that the first birth was hard, totally not how we pictured it, and had a lot of medical intervention.  What was so striking about this is that one of the people present said, “That was just the birth you needed to have.”  At the time, I am pretty sure I wanted to haul off and hit her, but in the years since I realized that what that birth did was shake my perfectionist qualities right out of me.  Nothing went how I had “planned” it with the exception of one thing, a healthy baby in my arms.  And with that awareness came the understanding of how to look at each situation and “juice” it for what is most important.  By letting go of all the seeming ways things were supposed to happen and let them happen, I got to experience life’s journey and what it had in store for me.  And since then, the gifts from what I learned in that moment have benefited me every day.

And of course, as the story would have it, my second child’s birth was dreamy.  Laboring at the beach, laughing at the hospital during active labor, and hearing Johnny Cash singing as my son was born which made everyone there crack up.  It made me realize celebrations come in all forms…some that make us shout with happiness and others that ask us to see the magnificence and holiness in the hardship.

Lance’s Commentary:  Hmmm…I can relate.  Well, maybe I should say my wife can relate!  Wait, I was there, too!  Now I’m getting confused!  Our first birthing experience was one that was very much the opposite of everything we expected.  (see how I use the the word “our”…you know, because it was like I was going through that labor too!!!)  Somehow we survived, and were blessed with a healthy baby also.  And that made it all worth it.  Would you believe me, now, if I tell you I can completely relate???   

10. What does a typical day with your family involve?
Which day?  Each day has a different flavor.  Both my husband and I work and both of us stay home. And if anyone reading this shares that experience, you are laughing your head off right now.  But each day has a lot of hugs, playing, crafting like I said before, debating what to do for dinner, getting together with people, emailing, laughing, and dancing.  Every Saturday night, we have a family mini-party.  It is called  “Everybody loves Saturday Night”, the name came from my daughter’s children’s CD.  So every Saturday night, as a family, we put on that song and dance, eat cake and do something fun.  We always get balloons and sometimes silly masks and celebrate.  If you hang out with me long enough, you will know that one of my central tenets is celebration….it just does not get enough air time in our society.  The Saturday Night Dance Parties with the four of us is a good example of us.  We may not be the family traveling to every place, we may not be staying out late doing exciting things, we may not be taking the kids to every museum, but we have our own brand of fun.  And it feels really good.

Lance’s Commentary:  Saturday evenings sound like a blast at your house!  I think we should have a big party…and YOU can host!!  I’ll bring the cookies!!  And exciting is what you make it, anyway…so keep on rockin’ in your own groovy way!

11. Deep-down, Katie, what makes you, “you”?  
I think it is how I started this interview.  All is an adventure.  All is worthy of our attention and experience.  There is nothing without merit that happens.  My “me-ness”  is in being open to seeing the adventure and my willingness to allow it to transform me.  Even in the grumpiest of grump days, I know without a doubt, we are all connected and we are all one.  And that brings me a deep joy that somehow manages every time to break up any clouds that may be there and allow the light of possibility and interconnectedness to shine brightly.  My mom recently told me when I was born that she almost named me “Joy” and that many days since she wishes she had.   It seems only fitting that my work here on the planet would revolve around this idea.

And well, I also really really like making chocolate chip cookies and can do the recipe from memory.

Lance’s Commentary: Joy!!  That IS a fitting name for you, too (your mom just knew!!).  Katie:  That’s the new word for joy!

Life is an adventure.  And wherever that adventure leads us, those are the moments that are our life.  And whether they seem hum drum or filled with excitement, they are all ours.  In fact, I believe it’s not so much the big and grand things that define our life as much as it is the regular day to day mini-adventures that life leads us on that are really the cornerstone for our life journey.  Katie, I know you have weaved a life filled with all of this, big adventures all sandwiched between lots and lots of mini adventures.  And you choose an attitude of belief in what IS possible.  And that is what makes life grand!

Closing Thoughts:  Katie, it is an honor to have you here today!  You have a mix of goofiness, deep understanding, and love that are second to none!  In our world today, you are sunshine…warm and radiant out into the lives of those you touch!

To paraphrase Ralph Waldo Emerson:  Katie you HAVE succeeded…in so many beautiful ways, you give love and life a touch of joy.  And in that, the world is a better place.  In that, I am a better person.  Continue to give the world a bit of this magic fairy dust.  

And continue to rock the world, buddy!

Now…about those cookies… 

You can keep up with Katie by subscribing to The Levity Project,  and following her on Twitter.

photo credit: tractorpirate

“We don’t accomplish anything in this world alone … and whatever happens is the result of the whole tapestry of one’s life and all the weavings of individual threads from one to another that creates something.” ~ Sandra Day O’Connor

Connections.

How do you view them?  What matters? 

This weekend I had the opportunity to connect and strengthen some of those relationships with several people I’ve met through online connections. 

Katie West, founder of The Levity Project, was in Chicago on Saturday to bring a laughter event to the city.  It was an amazing day, and a great way to bring a little extra joy into the world.  As great as that was, that’s not the focus of this article today.   Instead, today I’m looking at the powerful and meaningful ways that deeper connections are formed.

I had the opportunity to connect with several people on that deeper and more personal level:

• Kim Kotecki from Escape Adulthood (thanks for being my riding buddy on our little road trip…and for great GPS skills when I got us lost!!)
• Stacey Hoffer Weckstein from Create A Balance for Moms (whoa…we really met!  How cool!)
• John Anyasor from HiLife2B (what a fun event, huh!)
• Ina Lukas (hey sparkly gazer…don’t move!!!)
• Katie West from The Levity Project (YOU…buddy…are simply awesome!)

Kim, Stacey, Katie, myself, and Ina after the event

Katie, John, and myself in downtown Chicago

When you think about the Internet, what are your thoughts?  Does it seem like this is a warm and welcoming place, or does it seem cold and rigid? 

In it’s barest form, what I’m typing here and sharing can be broken down into a series of 1’s and 0’s (binary code).  Just a bunch of numbers being sent back and forth.  The raw data would look very technical, cold, and not welcoming at all.  I find that so interesting.  This series of 1001001100111100011000111001111 (I have no idea what that says…) data becomes so much more.  It becomes the catalyst to something great.  Great in terms of whatever it is we’re here doing. 

Today, that’s about connection.  People I never would have met, were it not for these 1’s and 0’s and the connecting ability they hold.

When those connections can be made even greater — email, phone conversations, and in person meetings — wow!  The Internet has provided such a great tool for connecting people from all over the world.  And when there are opportunities to take those connections to a new level, to deepen that connection — it is so worth it. 

This all takes me back several months, to last spring — when I had my first opportunity to connect “in person” with someone I had met only online.  Stacey Shipman and I found ourselves with a unique opportunity where our paths crossed while both of us were on vacation — giving us a wonderful chance to meet.  It has made for a  developing friendship between us.  I know this is what it is today because we met “in person”, and really had an opportunity to connect at a different, more personal level.

Our own personal world is greatly impacted by the connections we have with others around us.  When we can take those connections to a deeper level, and make the connection more personal and real — that relationship is strengthened, and our life is improved.  Especially when those connections are in line with our more inner being.

Your Turn

How do you view the Internet?  Have you made deeper connections with others because of your presence on the Internet (email, blog, social media, website, etc)?  Do you find the world to be a smaller place?

Laughter can be so connecting.  I’m sure you’ve had those moments…moments where you’ve started to laugh, and it’s taken you to a very good place.  It’s like you can feel the stress leaving your body, like everything seems a little bit lighter, like at at that moment all is good and right in the world. 

Today I have a special guest and personal friend here with us — Katie West, from The Levity Project.  Katie’s life mission is all about bringing more joy and levity into our world. She does this in a number of ways — everything from coaching clients on incorporating laughter into daily activities to public events of bringing laughter and lightness out into the world.

Is laughter easy for you?  Perhaps sometimes it’s not.  Maybe it feels awkward to laugh in some situations.  It’s one thing to laugh behind closed doors.  And it can be another altogether to laugh in a public place.  What will people think? 

Below, Katie shares a part of the journey she has been on to get to where she is today.  And today that is a place that is very much laughter-filled!  Was it always this way for her, though?  Continue reading, as Katie shares.…

The Practice of Saying Ha Ha!

photo credit: Drewski Mac

“I will not play tug o’ war. I’d rather play hug o’ war. Where everyone hugs instead of tugs, Where everyone giggles and rolls on the rug, Where everyone kisses, and everyone grins, and everyone cuddles, and everyone wins.” ~ Shel Silverstein

More than three years ago, I invited my husband to come with me to a laughter class as a date. We had never heard of it.   Upon arriving at the class, the leader, Jen, explained how laughter yoga was the practice of laughing for no reason and that it was a body-mind wellness approach.   Jen told us that our brain does not know the difference between real laughter and fake laughter, so by just saying, “Ha, Ha, Ha”  we feels as good as if we have really been cracking up over a joke or with a good friend.

Immediately, I loved the concept.

But halfway through class, when we began the laughter yoga exercises, I was wide eyed with discomfort.  Having always shied away from the stage or doing anything in which I looked “foolish”, I found myself quietly going through the exercises hoping no one would see me.  People all around me were having a grand time, some really laughing and some just practicing saying “Ha Ha Ho Ho.”   I was still trapped behind a forced smile of awkwardness.

Then, a petite woman came up to me and started doing “humming laughter”. It was if she could read the discomfort in my eyes and was encouraging me to have fun as she hummed exuberantly.  Her easy presence made me burst out laughing.  She was not caught up in what I thought of her or what anyone else thought. She was caught up in simply having a good time for no reason at all.

I marveled at this freedom.   Then, moments later, a man came up to me and shook my hand excitedly as part of another exercise.  Only, he did not let go when I tried to and just kept shaking and shaking until I was laughing so hard, I could barely stand up!  It was as if he was helping me to shake away any nervousness or self-judgment.  Finally, I began to relax into the joy of it all!

By the end of class I was rolling on the floor with everyone else in hysterics over NOTHING!  The laughter was real and felt so freeing to just laugh without thinking something was funny, yet at the same time everything felt funny.

I still remember vividly the energetic shift in my body as my husband and I re-entered the cold, winter air that night.  It was a buzz that lasted long into the spring.  That was the first winter I loved living in a cold climate…I kept laughing to stay warm!

In the years since that class, I have watched time and time again, how laughter frees me up from worrying what I “should” do to what feels right deep within me to do.   I find that practicing laughter allows us to connect to ourselves deep within so we no longer put the same emphasis on what others are thinking or saying or doing.
 
Instead, we have the unique opportunity to live within our hearts in this very moment. And I believe when we are able to do that, we have all that we need to approach each moment of our lives from an open and grounded place.
 
By bringing more laughter into our lives, even in the challenging times, we are inviting abounding joy to enter our experience.  From here, we can celebrate the good that is present so much more easily.

I love looking back to that blustery laughter-filled winter night as a great shift in my life in which I stopped living the life I felt comfortable living and started living the life I knew I deeply wanted and had always dreamt of living. 

A Special Event
Saturday, November 7th:  Katie and The Levity Project movement are coming to Chicago!  Get all the details right here!  This will be a day filled with laughter and joy, and one I’m excited to be taking part in, too!!  If you are near the Chicago area, check this out — for the cost of getting to downtown Chicago, you can be part of a very special day!

Keep up with Katie by subscribing to her blog, and following her on Twitter.

Note:  If you’re having trouble viewing this, please click here.

“We don’t stop laughing because we grow old; We grow old because we stop laughing” ~ Michael Pritchard

August 2009.

Laughing to bring a sense of goodness and cheer to a small part of the world.

Wonderful friend Katie West in on a mission to make the world a happier place.  Her website, The Levity Project, is all about ways to add some extra levity and laughter to your life.  And one of her missions has been to do this through fifteen minute laughter events.

Back to August.  And to the laughter event Katie was organizing for the month.  What a great idea!  Although, not something I wanted to tackle myself in Wisconsin, a long ways from Maine, and the place Katie and her army of laughter soldiers beckoned from.

So, I teamed up with Kim and Jason Kotecki, an amazing husband/wife duo from here in Wisconsin, whose website, Escape Adulthood, is about letting the inner kid within you out a bit more.

With Katie’s expert assistance, we created a plan for bringing a laughter event to Madison, Wisconsin.  What an amazing day!

Watch the video above, it speaks for itself.  Laughter is contagious.  Laughter is fun.  Laughter is connecting.  Laughter just feels good.

Laughter Is Soul Good

While I’ve known just how good it feels to laugh, organizing and participating in this event really brought a deeper awareness of just how good laughter can be for us.

“What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul.” ~ Yiddish Proverb

Laughter felt so connecting that day!  Connecting within to a deeper part of me, and connecting outward with people I’d never even met before. 

How can you make laughter a bigger part of your day?  Is there anything special you notice when you laugh?

Edit:  The umbrella hat?  It’s courtesy of Katie…all part of her raining a colorful rainbow into the world.

photo credit: jaxxon

“Laughter is an instant vacation.” ~ Milton Berle

Laughing!!

It just feels so good!

And I’m headed out to put that laughing urge to good use.

What’s Up?

Have you ever noticed how laughing can become contagious?

Or how laughing can just put a little extra bounce in your step?

I’m joining forces with the very talented and creative Kim and Jason Kotecki, from Escape Adulthood, to “laugh for social change”.  Kim and Jason are a husband/wife duo from here in Wisconsin, whose purpose behind what they do is to make our adult days more childlike.  Doesn’t that sound like a winning concept! 

And together we’re going to laugh.  A laugh flash!

Huh?

If laughing is contagious, feels good, and makes others feel more comfortable to laugh themsevles — wouldn’t it be a great thing to take this out into the world to get it spreading?  Kind of like a virus, only way, way better!

That’s exactly what we’re doing!  And you’re invited to join us! 

Date:  Saturday, August 22nd, 2009
Time:  10:45 AM Central Time (meet), 11:00 — 11:15 AM laugh
Location:  Meet outside of the Wisconsin Veteran’s Museum in downtown Madison, Wisconsin (corner of State St. and Miflin)
Who:  Anyone and everyone welcome!

We’ll meet, most of us strangers — and then we’ll find ourselves a spot amongst all the happenings at the popular Farmer’s Market at the Capitol Square.  And…we’ll just laugh.  Laugh to bring some extra joy into this public place.  We’ll do this for 15 minutes, and then we’re done. 

Just think of the feeling you’ll be leaving others with.  Others with us, gathered to laugh — filled with joy from laughing together.  Others who pass by us — some who may think we’re a little bit “out there”, and most who will smile, maybe join in, and overall just feel a lightened sense of being! 

Personal note:  Being considered “out there” is a pretty cool thing!

How Did This Get Started?

The very awesome and super fantastic Katie West, from The Levity Project, is the whiz-bang smarty pants behind this idea of getting a group of people together to laugh in a public place.  The goal of this is to bring about social change in the world, by locally going into public places and laughing out loud.  And being okay with doing that.  And to remind us all that life is fun.  And when we really feel like laughing, it’s okay to do that.  In fact, it’s down right good for us! 

And cool beans!  Katie will be doing this same thing with a group of people in Portland, Maine — at the same time (12:00 noon Eastern Time).  So, if you’re anywhere near there, contact Katie and join her!

Maybe you’re someplace else in this world we live in.  That’s okay.  Feel free to join us in spirit…wherever the moment happens to place you at!  Laughter around the world…

photo credit: TakenByTina

“Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.” ~ Victor Borge

Wow!

Laugh with me now! 

Ha Ha He He Ho Ho Ha Ha Hardee Har Har!!

Doesn’t that feel good!

More Awesomeness

Brandi Reynolds, joy rebel magnifico, just so happens to have a “mission” this week of finding and experiencing laughter in our world.  How’s that for synchronicity! 

If you’re not familiar with what Brandi is doing, check it out — right here explains the concept behind these missions she’s creating.  It’s free, fun, and done when YOU want to!

Your Turn

What makes you laugh?

Are there times when laughter has lifted you up from a low place?

Any crazy ideas on creating laughter?