By Leroy Tran
On Halloween, I sat in my friend’s bedroom with him and his girlfriend on the bed, waiting for our cavalry. Soon they came charging in: one friend, then two, then another and by just before sunset, we’d made seven. On the floor were six chicken costumes. Inflatable and no more than $15 each. Teenagers love a good deal and something stupid; it just made sense. There were seven of us and six costumes, although we only used five, because one was our driver, and the other wore a Jesus costume.
By the end of the night, our chicken cabal was at a nearby school and strolled onto a dimly lit field, eventually taking to running across it as a marching line of faux poultry who tripped and stumbled on the grasses’ many divots and holes, all while Jesus recorded us.
I tell this story because it reminds me of a certain truth that I seldom recognize: the whimsical life is the good life. It is whimsy, the “unusual, funny and pleasant ideas or qualities” of life, that contributes largely to a good, happy life.
This idea does not mean to abandon all seriousness or reality. Life is serious at times—work, sickness, death even—and the best of lives will inevitably experience these. But, one quality that distinguishes a good life from a depressing life is the tendency to seek or experience whimsy. Isn’t it depressing to always worry, to never experience some pleasant joys? There should be times to separate one life, your serious life, from the other, your life that you enjoy.
Whimsy comes in many forms. It’s the random ideas that come at night with your friends; it’s the private things that seem peculiar but just right to you. It’s running around in a field dressed as chickens, or it’s dancing in your seat while listening to your favorite song. Whimsy, by nature, is unusual. Often it is contrary to all common sense and social norms, and so developing a healthy relationship with whimsy demands overcoming social pressure and embarrassment.
In a delicate time as teenagers, when adolescence unifies with adulthood, we may sometimes feel that we are no longer entitled to the same joy that we felt in childhood. Aren’t adults supposed to be serious, stern and hardworking? However, on our path to conforming to a sense of adulthood, we lose certain silly qualities in our lives that diminish our overall livelihood.
Life is better when you consider whimsy. I suggest that you take an hour to decorate your desk or try a new outfit; take to running down streets and climbing playgrounds with your friends.
Obviously, be considerate and don’t harm anyone or anything in your search for whimsy. Yes, seek it out, but never be irresponsible. Save yourself the trouble; things are already turbulent out there. Sometimes it’s a barrage of personal blues or all the misery we see in the media. So, we look to whimsy, but it’s not escapism to be a little silly; it’s just a component of a healthy lifestyle.
The whimsical life is the good life. I hope you choose to live a good life!
