“I’ll always gallop with gay abandon, and I’ll always find a euphemism in anything. I’ll always sing if someone inadvertently speaks song lyrics and I’ll always love the word ‘plunge’ – and that is not being a child – it’s just sometimes the world needs to be jollied.” – Miranda Hart
Hello to you! One of the jolly joys this winter has already provided is the discovery of the genius of Miranda Hart. She’s been profiled briefly here as a Dazzler of the Day, but that only touched on the surface of her magnificence, particularly in these early days of winter when comfort and laughter and joy are so badly needed. While her main thrust in the world seems to be in making people laugh and spreading her now brand of infectious hilarity, there’s a deeper purpose if you peruse her website and take the time to watch her BBC sitcom ‘Miranda’ in which the main character somehow manages to find happiness and child-like wonder at the otherwise-harrowing crux of middle age.
That series took me through the start of winter and introduced me to this marvelous woman whose online contributions are aimed at bettering the world through sheer example. She toils and troubles through life as most of us do, yet she is constantly in a state of progress and working toward making things better. She has a wonderful knack for accepting herself just as she is, of embracing her imperfections and having fun with life and every single moment of it. I need more of that.
The other night, in a deep dive through her Instagram videos, I came across one in which she told of a woman who had written her and thanked her for allowing herself to let go and dance, which she had not done in years for fear of being called out for looking foolish. Miranda gave words of support, remarking how touched she was, and it was a reminder that some of us have been held back and reined in by our own worry of being less than perfect. We are scared of looking stupid and people poking fun at us. It goes back to the very primal urge of being accepted and loved for who we are, no conditions or bargains or requirements. I loved her advice to simply dance in the kitchen, for just a few minutes, to bring about some brief spot of joyful abandon, some reconnection to the very basic human condition of being silly and child-like, recapturing a state of wonder and carefree exuberance.
I vowed then and there to do more dancing (because I do still enjoy a spirited romp on the dance floor, wherever that floor may be these days) as well as to begin another tradition of spirited galloping. Yes, galloping.
“We all have our worries about our bodies and our looks. We just need to make the best of our lovely, wonky selves. The key is never to compare and try to be something you’re not.” –
