Embrace Your Inner Goofball: How Being Silly Can Make You (and Others) Happier

When I was in my twenties, I was blessed to get to know my husband's fourth cousin, Muriel, who, at the time I met her, was ninety.  Muriel was one of the most interesting people I've ever had the pleasure of getting to know and though she has been gone thirty years, I still miss her.  She was a hoot!  

Muriel lived in New Orleans her entire life and had never married. During her college years, she'd traveled to Europe with her best friend...on a freighter.  Probably since there were so few passengers, as well as the fact that she and her friend were attractive young women, she and her bestie had often dined with the captain.  Honestly, I could sit and listen to Muriel for hours.  She never said anything you'd expect her to and the stories were always unique and interesting.

"That's nice," you might be thinking, "but what does this have to to with being a goofball and being happier?"

Simple, it was Muriel who first made me think about the way I was living my life, although it didn't fully "kick in" I guess you could say, until I was around forty-five or fifty.  Rather than complaining about old age, being alone, or being physically unable to do the things that she had done during her youth, Muriel found being ninety quite liberating.  She was always saying how she had done this, that, or the other because since she was ninety, it didn't matter what others thought of her anymore.  To her, old age was...freeing.  

Since it's been three decade since she passed, I can no longer remember many of the specifics of what she had done simply because she felt her age allowed it.  I do, however, remember the oddest thing, or what I felt like was the oddest at the time.  Muriel felt her doctor was quite handsome, and I believe she said he was in his early thirties, so one of the last times she'd seen him, she decided to announce her undying love for him!  (A comment which he apparently acted like he had not heard.)  

Now, I'm not saying you should pronounce your love for someone who is unlikely to be interested in you, but what I am saying is that, at least for me, if I worry too much about what others think, I miss out on harmless fun that might even bring joy to others.  

When I was a teen, like most people I imagine, I was extremely concerned about what people thought.  Through my twenties, thirties, and even a lot of my forties, I refrained from a lot of goofy stuff I wanted to do because I was worried about what others thought. All this changed though, as I approached fifty years of age.  Fifty isn't old.  Also, it's just a number. Nonetheless, I celebrate yet another anniversary of my twenty-seventh birthday each year.  But it occurred to me that I shouldn't wait until the ripe old age of ninety to do some of the silly stuff I would like to do, so I gave it a shot, and I would recommend that you do as well.

You might be wondering what it is that I do.  While I won't go through all of it because certain things are a surprise for someone later, I will tell you that I love to cosplay as characters portrayed by my favorite actor to whom I bear absolutely no physical resemblance, apart from both of us being part of the human race. Before you tell me this isn't weird because many people enjoy cosplaying, let me add that I don't only do this at events like Comicon. Nope, I do it around town and make videos that I post on Instagram because it's my hope that I can convince the actor that he needs to do a Comicon in my neck of the woods, or possibly even take a vacation with his family.

I thought for sure with the ridiculous costume I was wearing that I would get kicked out of a few places,  but I was pleasantly surprised.  Many people ignored me since I was careful not to be disruptive in any manner.  Others though, I could tell that I absolutely made their day, or maybe even their week!  They were thrilled to be in my video handing me (in full mask and costume) a beer or ice cream.  They eagerly participated and it was awesome to see how their faces light up, just because I was there acting like, well, a total goofball.

The same goes for attending K-pop concerts dressed like the band and exchanging things like handmade bracelets with other concert goes whilst waiting in line.  I really thought I'd be a freak doing this at my age, but everyone from those waiting queueing with me to the band members themselves (it was a small concert and my VIP ticket allowed me to meet the group) loved it.

So, I challenge you to embrace your inner goofball and bring joy to others.  Make their faces light up and have a better day yourself in the process!

Honoring Those Who Have Helped You

JW Wright and Myself
Spring 2025 Seminar
(Photo by Dorian Brownlee)

Honor. It’s an old concept and one you don’t hear much about these days. I’m not only talking about one’s personal honor, but also honoring others, something I think can often be overlooked in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. We pay for lessons here. We hire people to do something there. 

If we have kids but don’t homeschool, then we’re either paying private school tuition or our kids instructors are paid by government. (Yes, through taxes that we pay regardless of whether or not we have a kid attending, but I digress.)

Have you ever met someone  who went into teaching because the pay was so appealing? A jiu-jitsu instructor who found teaching so lucrative that he was into teaching because of the money?  I doubt it. I’m not saying it’s impossible you’ve encountered such people but I’d dare say they are few and far between, and what’s more, I’d be shocked if you found a good one who was in it  just for money. 

People who serve you, particularly those who go above and beyond, teaching you, helping you, encouraging you, deserve to be, and indeed should be, honored.

What does this mean and what does this have to do with the me? While the answer will undoubtedly be very different for each individual, my answer is simple.

I’ve been unbelievably blessed to be  taught, encouraged, and helped beyond all reasonable expectations in Gracie jiu-jitsu.  

I am not, nor am I likely to ever be, a world champion. I’m female, in my mid-fifties, and while I exercise a lot and have lost over 20 pounds, I’m still shaped more or less like a teddy bear.

Have I competed? Sure. Twice. I did it not so much because I wanted to, but to prove to myself that I could, since honestly, I was terrified to do so. And I did it! I got out there, and fought, hard. 

With My Training Partner at a Spring 2025 Seminar
(Photo by Dorian Brownlee)

Naturally, there aren’t many women my age, size, and rank who compete. If I traveled far and went to one of the largest competitions in the world, I could ‘probably’ find someone of that description to compete against. As it was, however, each time I’ve gone to a competition, which consists of several rounds, my opponents have been women my size, but 25 to 30 years younger than me. Of course jiu-jitsu is designed to use technique and leverage so that a smaller, weaker, slower opponent can still win, however, when we’re the same rank, well, let’s just say I competed and I did my best and I’m proud of myself for getting out there.

All that, however, is beside the point. The point is that I’ve had so much amazing instruction and help that is invaluable. People have given way above and beyond anything that could reasonably be expected, for no reason other than they just decided to be good to me! For this, I want to honor them.

What does this look like— honoring them? For me, it means making sure that they know that I’m working hard. For those who are near me it’s pretty easy because they see me at the gym, however, many of them are extremely far away, and I might see them every once in a while or in some cases never again. Some of them came into my life for a short period of time and made a huge impact. Others, I might get a chance to see once a year or less. 

Nonetheless I want them to know that I’m not squandering all the hard work and effort they exerted helping me.  These people are all unbelievably busy. They probably don’t have time to check up on what I’m doing. However, if they do, I make sure that I have an open Instagram account so they can look at what I’m doing and I post my jiu-jitsu updates somewhat regularly. 

Myself with Royler Gracie
December 2024 Seminar

They’re not updates that mention any sort of tangible progress, but they show my effort. I want to make sure that it's evident that I’m doing all I can with the knowledge and encouragement I’ve been given. I believe this is the best I can do to honor these people.

So I challenge you to honor those who have made your life better, and teach your children to do likewise. Make sure you look behind the obvious and take the extra time to let these people know how much what they do means to you. Don’t take it for granted. Take a moment to honor them.