Getting the Sillies Out

 

Shared giggles across the dining room table, stifled snorts at church, whispered inside jokes in the back of the minivan... I remember being a sibling so well, being part of a gang, and knowing my compatriots deeply, completely, and hilariously. After giggle sessions with them, my cheeks would ache from laughing and the mere thought of a remembered joke would make me burst into laughter hours later.

 

We would be shushed, separated, and silenced, all standard treatment for sibling hijinks. Somehow, that protocol added to the fun, though, because nothing is quite as silly as forbidden silliness. After an appropriate moment of silence, during which we sternly instructed our faces to not emit a single joyous sound, we would cautiously seek eye contact with a brother or a sister and ... the laughter would explode from our bodies once again, this time complete with shaking shoulders and tears leaking from the corners of our eyes.

 

Remember that happy, limp, exhausted feeling your body would have after all the sillies were finally out of your system? You were left feeling smiley and in pleasant cahoots with your siblings for the rest of the day.

 

The worst part about being an adult might be that we police silliness more than we practice it. It turns out that now I'm the shusher, the separator, the silencer, and this side of funny business is not very fun at all.

 

In our family there are no two sillier ingredients than a dash of Joey and a pinch of Clara. They're masters of the shared snort and giggle, but that's just the beginning. They should teach a course on inventing silly words... and repeating them ad nauseum. Stuck in traffic? They know exactly how to ratchet up the noise level in the car to intolerable levels. Or you're only out for a short drive? No problem, they can make up a game lickety-split that involves tickling, farting or burping. Maybe you're simply trying to say grace before dinner... that's sure to involve at least one giggle explosion or friendly foot war under the table. And at bedtime, Joey has to do nothing more than swagger into Clara's room in a bathrobe and slippers... and she'll melt into a puddle of giggles at his feet.

 

In other words, they're really gifted in this department.

 

These pictures from a recent ferry ride they took with Grandma Cecchin from Sausalito to San Francisco perfectly capture the silliness that binds them and energizes them.

 

I see it clearly in the photos, because I wasn't there, exasperated, trying to make them behave. And the distance made me pause, and really see the gift they are to each other.

 

I'm debating a rewrite of my shush, separate and silence policy... I think I should add see and smile. And soak it all in.