[blockquote source=”Anne Lamott”]“Laughter is carbonated holiness.”[/blockquote]

Oh my dears, I saw the most peculiar site the other day. A small parade was held in our community, and in order to celebrate Memorial Day.

Leading the procession – bright red firetrucks with sirens blaring, heralding the achievements of our nation’s greatest veterans.

Little ones chased, as handfuls of candy were strewn through the air ~ a special treat from their most beloved heroes.

A local marching band bridged with a rat-ta-tat-tat, as the final procession made ready for their ‘review.’ It was a group of funny-hatted Shriners, weaving along in their miniature cars.

For those who aren’t familiar, the Shriners have long graced our community parades – raising money and providing hope to children very much in need. Their tireless dedication to service is truly remarkable.

Likewise, they are always such fun to watch. And this year…would be no exception.

As the last of the miniature cars banked its final turn, a resounding WROOF broke free from the crowd. Hanging on for dear life at the end of the ‘great beasts’ leash, was a little boy – with feet flying roughly 20 inches from the ground.

“STOP,” he cried out – but, to no avail as the lumbering giant continued his puppy ‘reign of terror.’

“Oh, this won’t end well,” I thought to myself – knowing the top speed of a Shriner car was just barely 10 miles per hour.

Frantic, the old man swerved his car this way and that, all in a desperate attempt to avoid this certain path of destruction.

Of course, everyonefelt this to be part of the ‘show’ – that is, until the great beast took one final lunge through the air…

And, into the ‘just barely big enough’ front seat of the miniature car.

It seems, this little pup wasn’t evil at all – he just wanted to go for a ride.

I had to laugh when I realized the irony, of both driver and dog wanting the very same thing – to feel a sense of unbridled joy, though approaching it in vastly different ways.

On one hand, there was a frightened old man desperately trying to avoid the upset a certain chaos might bring, and…on the other hand, an over-sized fluff of ‘not knowing’ mind, dogmatically chasing his dream.

And though, perhaps the ill-mannered beast might have better tailored his approach – I must say, I do admire his puppy-hearted carpe diem.

As they say, “laughter is the sound of the soul dancing“…and, oh my dears…

I believe we could all use a little more ‘soul dancing’ in this world.