Too much order

Without a doubt, there is such a thing as too much order. (from “The Crocodile in the Bedroom” Fables by Arnold Lobel)

 I like this thought because we hear so much about the importance of order, boundaries, discipline, etc. andnot enough about adventure, discovery, and good old fashioned mischief. I am a person who loves order. I feel secure when things are neat and in order. I saw the value of boundaries in discipline as a teacher. But I also saw how occasionally “letting go” leads to exciting discoveries, lasting friendships, and the release that onlylaughter can bring.

My aunt Connie is an extraordinary teacher and her first grade class was a wonderful learning environment–for me, an adult sitting in on lessons. I’m pretty sure the kids learned a lot too, but this blog is about wisdom for adults. 🙂 In Connie’s classroom routine was very important and she stayed organized to maintain a productive schedule (so important, I think, for diverse learners) but I will never forget the day I was testing a student in the hallway and suddenly heard peals of hysterical laughter coming from her room all the way down the hall. Imagine the sound of twenty seven-year-olds and one pretty loud fifty-year-old laughing just as hard as they can. When I poked my head in a few minutes later, the students were working quietly and diligently with smiles on their faces. Connie said, “Our math lesson was getting pretty intense so we had to take a one-minute laugh break!”

What if, when things get a little too intense, you just decide to take a one-minute laugh break? With your spouse or children? When you get in your car after a long work day? When you are stuck in traffic? In your classroom? In the insanely long line at Hobby Lobby (love their stuff but I think they’re trying to be the last retailer in the world to go to a barcode system!)?

When would you like to take a laugh break? Or when do you think someone else needs one?