Adults can be silly occasionally

Act your age. Settle down. Be serious. Stop being so silly. Don’t do that in public—it’s embarrassing.

Most of us heard these words (or others like them) often as children. And, as we aged, they somehow sunk in and became second nature. Or maybe they didn’t, at least for some of us.

As I recall, my parents were pretty keen on adult behavior. At one point, my mother discovered the worst punishment she could inflict involved sitting me on a chair with orders to remain silent and still until the allotted time was up. It was pure torture, but eventually I learned to sit still and be quiet. And, as I got older, I learned how to mostly suppress the silliness, at least in public.

Then, after a life of seriousness and a few seriously bad choices, along came my wonderfully silly husband. Now, don’t get me wrong, he adults very well. He’s far more responsible and skilled at planning than I am. In the silliness department though, he’s more than my match.

Take, for example, a recent trip to Kansas City. We left the kiddos with Grandma and Grandpa, and planned to have a relaxing day to ourselves. After finishing up at our appointments and having lunch, we found ourselves at the Bass Pro Shop in Olathe.

Now, bear in mind that darling hubby is our money manager, and an incredibly skilled window shopper (meaning that he feels in no way compelled to purchase anything).

I, on the other hand, could make a legitimate case for why we do indeed desperately need a set of eight camouflage egg cups, even though I’ve never made a soft boiled egg in my life, let alone plan to serve one to anyone else.

We strolled into the cavernous emporium, planning to work our way from one end to the other. We perused the boats, debating whether to get a pontoon boat or a ski boat, with or without actual leather seats. This was a pretty safe place to start, since there’s no way we can afford a boat after replacing my truck. We bantered our way through the apparel department, and marveled at the waterfall and fish tank.

Then things got a little dicey. We arrived at the fishing section. I managed to stifle the urge to grab armfuls of every pole, lure and bait in sight, while dashing for the door yelling “HERE, FISHY FISHY FISHY!” at the top of my lungs.

The bowfishing rigs didn’t do much to settle me down. I marveled at the sheer magnitude of the plastic worm spectrum. I calculated how many tackle boxes I would need for each type of lure.

Seeing a potentially expensive situation developing, hubby steered us away from the fishing gear and toward the home décor.

Mind you, I’m not a fan of cutesy barnwood signs, artistic candles, or Labrador-adorned metal plates. I’m sure he thought it was going to be a safe department. And it was, at least until we caught sight of the camo recliners. What does one do when one sees recliners on sale after a long, tiring day? Yep, you sit in them. If you’re us, you sit in them and crack jokes about having possibly broken the bathroom.

Then, if you’re my husband, you decide to try on one of the birdfeeder cones and pretend to be Rayden from Mortal Kombat. If you’re me, you finally realize that those giant stuffed fish downstairs would make a really hilarious picture in front of the fish tank and trample off, giggling madly, in pursuit of said fish. (I may or may not have been muttering under my breath about finally catching something.) Naturally, a stuffed alligator and a taxidermied black bear must also be used as photo ops.

To the staff’s credit, they didn’t throw us out. To my husband’s joy, we bought only two souvenir hats for the kids and a magnet for the fridge. We were both grinning all the way to the car. Hubby was even in a good enough mood to take a side trip to Yarn Barn in Lawrence to feed my fiber stash. Now there’s another story for another day.

And there it was, one of the best days of my life. We didn’t spend much money, but we had fun together. We made memories that will brighten any dark days that may come. We remembered how to be more than just adults or parents…. We remembered how to be best friends and laugh with each other.

Here’s hoping your summer brings you plenty of silliness and laughter, too!

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