‘I emailed you a video link so make sure you watch it,” read the text from my daughter. Little did I know when I clicked on it that I would become part of viral video history, just one of the millions and millions of viewers who turned a four-minute clip from a stay-at-home Texas mom into the most ever watched video on Facebook Live.
The sight of a grown woman in a Chewbacca mask laughing out loud and without inhibition is a great antidote — though sadly only temporary — to the woes and weight of the world, a shared interlude of time where we can all join in the fun. If you haven’t seen this video, do yourself a favor: Google Chewbacca Mom and watch it. You’ll be glad you did.
Since she posted that video, Candace Payne has shot to instant fame, with appearances on Good Morning America, The James Corden Show, and a personal invitation from Mark Zuckerberg for a visit to the Facebook campus in California’s Silicon Valley. Good for her!
Laughter is contagious and good feelings can ripple from one human being to another. Her un-self-conscious ability to poke fun at herself and enjoy one of life’s simple joys makes her instantly likeable and relatable, a grassroots hero and universal friend at a turbulent and uncertain point in history.
She’s also just a natural ham and has an ability to strike a chord with suburban moms everywhere. Who among us hasn’t treated ourselves to a secret treat, something just for ourselves and not to fall into the clutches of our kids? A birthday joy doesn’t have to sparkle or cost hundreds of dollars; a noise-making rubber mask from Kohl’s can trigger unfettered delight and make us laugh right along with her.
A good belly laugh is medicine for the soul, but all of us crave a simple something that brings us joy. One of my favorite acquisitions of all time — purchased with pride at High School South’s annual flea market — never fails to bring a smile to my face.
It’s a singing Dean Martin bobblehead that sings two of the legendary singer’s most popular hits: “Everybody Loves Somebody” and “That’s Amore” (when the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie!). Miniature Dean brandishes a microphone and waggles his head, and in addition to cracking up, I usually burst into song along with him and sometimes even break into dance.
You can parse life’s joys into two categories: the large sweeping ones, such as the birth of a child, a wedding, a graduation, a new job or promotion, or when your kid finally gets straight As.
But more frequent and sometimes underappreciated or even unrecognized are the simple joys that are woven into the fabric of our everyday lives. Sayings like “Stop and Smell the Roses” and “Enjoy the Journey, Not Just the Destination” remind us to focus on the present and to enjoy the here and now and the love of the people around us.
Then there are the personal idiosyncrasies that cause one person to find joy in something that might leave others scratching their heads. For example, I have bought four identical hand soap pumps for the sinks in my house, along with a gigantic refill bottle of liquid soap from Sam’s Club. I find an oddly deep sense of satisfaction from refilling those pumps when they’re running low. Maybe it’s because I feel like I’m helping to save the environment from all that plastic soap packaging; perhaps I enjoy saving money by buying the club store pack and engaging the sweat of my brow.
My joy in frugality is also fed by clever and strategic redemption of coupons; of course, the challenge is to make sure you have the right coupon at the right time with you. One of my most prized possessions is my Kate Spade wallet, which replaced the one that was pickpocketed right from under my nose in France. I love it for its plentiful pockets and no-nonsense practicality, but I love it even more because I got it for a song. It was a late post-Christmas return so it came with a deep discount, and had even more shaved off because of my customer loyalty black card and a $15 coupon. It’s almost like they paid me to take it!
The best simple joys are either very inexpensive — like the Chewbacca mask — or free. Laughter is one of the best, and so is the deep feeling of satisfaction you get when you make someone else laugh or lighten their load in some way. This can be through literally helping someone carry moving boxes from one place to another, a random act of kindness, or by sharing a moment of personal glee that happens to strike a universal chord.
I’m sure the last thing Chewbacca Mom Candace Payne expected was to go viral, be awarded thousands of dollars in gift cards, and win applause from a world-weary nation. Speaking for myself, I’m grateful for her 15 minutes of fame born in a moment of charm and levity that helps put a whole lot of things in perspective.
