A friend of mine gave me this laughing Buddha the last time she visited. She is a person for whom a laugh is never far away, despite the challenges that her life has brought.
She is the carer for her long term partner who was diagnosed with schizophrenia some years ago and who often self medicates with alcohol. She also has her own physical health issues which now cause her some pain on a daily basis. Her mobility is also starting to be severely impaired as she ages.
I am so often quite awed by her zest for life, her compassion, her tendency to laugh easily and to crack wacky jokes. Many people meeting her would call her an eccentric and I'm sure that a few would cross the street if they saw her coming! She is one of the "square pegs" of society who doesn't even pretend to conform. There is understandably some anger and bitterness there about the circumstances of her adult life. As for many people, life hasn't been and isn't "easy".
She has however an easiness about her and I would love to catch some of her zest and humour!
I think that's why she bought me this Buddha. She noticed how seriously I take life and how little I have allowed myself to have fun, to lighten up and enjoy the moment. She reminds me to laugh more often.
2. Love and Laughter
Last night we watched a film about the life of Ian Dury, "Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll". I've been wanting to see it since I missed the one showing of it at our local cimena. I was a big fan of Ian Dury and The Blockheads back when I was a teenager.
The film is fast paced at the beginning and has a chaotic feel at first, that I think is intended to mirror the events of that time in Ian's life, and the anger he had which was always so quick to surface. It then takes us through most of his life, showing flashbacks to his childhood, when he contracted Polio and was left with impaired mobility.
Some of the best scenes are about his relationship with his son, and my favourite line is when he says to the small boy who is complaining that he is bored, "Only boring people get bored." That strikes a chord with me because I have never understood boredom! I always say that I never get bored. Life is too interesting! I sometimes get restless, or overwhelmed or lack motivation for a task but I don't think I ever get bored.
What shines through in the film, is Ian Dury's passion, talent and humour. Someone who was in love with life but struggling with it's challenges. In 1981 he wrote the lyrics to "Spasticus Autisticus" in a challenge to the slow pace of change for people with disabilities. It was the International Year of the Disabled and the song was banned by the BBC for causing offence.
It is a film that is brilliantly written, produced and acted, however I felt it missed so much of Ian's later very diverse work and did not really show his full talents as an actor and writer. His work for UNICEF around AIDS awareness was also not mentioned. I hope that people will see the film and then go and find out more about him. Andy Serkis, who played Gollum in The Lord of The Rings, was so convincing as Ian. I was totally hooked!
I was reminded of this song of his - the lyrics are a list of reasons to be cheerful.
When I write my own list of reasons to be cheerful, Ian Dury and my friend will be on the list. The BBC have a page here, which explains Ian's lyrics in a suitably humourous way!
As the title says these are "Reason's to be Cheerful(Part 3)".
The "Part 3" reminds me of how much there is to celebrate, that they won't all fit on one list, and most crucially for me of the joy of "being rather silly".
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