Tickling. My youngest daughter loves to have tickle fights.
Being tickled drives me crazy. Tickling is the last thing I need today. I have laundry, dishes, lesson plans. . . There's no time for this nonsense.
But she absolutely loves it. Last night, I'm reading to her in bed, and she leans over and starts tickling me. She's laughing so hard (and she's not even the one being tickled). She throws her head back and laughs with that open-mouth-can't-catch-your-breath laughter.
I keep myself still as stone, and then, just when her laughter turns to concern that she's somehow frozen her own mother, I pounce on her with tickles.
This morning, the two of us (now experts in guerrilla tickling), attack an unsuspecting father and older sister in the kitchen. They're too old for tickling, but somehow, they can't resist the game.
Maybe we're never too old for tickling.
Did God make tickling for any good and useful biological reason? I love that it's spontaneous and supremely useless in terms of productivity. But we needed it today. I suddenly remember how this big flair project began. I did something else in my kitchen that changed the whole feeling of the day: I danced in the kitchen.
Then I asked, "What is it about the spontaneous, the supremely useless, and the silly that lets the joy in?"
Tickling made this morning have flair. It let some joy in.
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Journal: Who needs a tickle today?
5 comments:
I play "Tickle Torture"(or death by feathered fingers) with my youngest (10yrs) son. I too don't really enjoy being tickled, but it's a beautiful way to engage with him since we have very few areas of mutual interest. We do it for no other reason than "just because!"
:-)
maybe we should do many more things that seem useless in this upside down world.
Heather, I just discovered your blog on the Greystone site. I think I recall you wrote a beautiful piece about Little Girls... years ago. My daughter Rhymes spoke highly of you.I will enjoy your writings! Marita
Does anyone know what addiction is? So it can happen with pure motives... Heather I am addicted to your daily flair writings.... I can hardly wait for the next days passage wondering what little surprise it will carry. I am even writing my own journal totally inspired by you. Thanks for making us think and see...
"Journal: Who needs a tickle today?" At 4:30, after a 10 hour day of teaching and training, when my boss was berating me about upcoming projects that I haven't even started, I probably would've cried and then peed myself if someone tickled me. From bad to wonderful. I could've used it.
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