“Look, Deb, a barn sale,” John said as he passed the roadside sign. We were on our way to explore another new park, and I was busy on my phone instead of attending to the passing scenery.

“Um, hum,” I muttered in reply. I hit delete, and twelve pesky emails disappear on my phone, only to be replaced by fifteen more.

“I don’t think we should stop, though,” John continued.

“Um, hum,” I repeated.

“The barn won’t fit in the car.”

I put down the phone and looked at him. “That’s just plain rude. You would think if someone is selling a barn, they would at least offer delivery.”

“My thoughts exactly,” he said.

“That’s probably why you can’t see the barn from the road,” I added. “They don’t want you to see how big it is until you are in their driveway. Then, they’ve really gotcha. It’s just like the pesky emails on the phone. Everyone wants a piece of your hard-earned cash. Well, not this chick.”

“Look, another barn sale,” John said. We passed the second sign, and again, the barn was nowhere in sight.

“Keep driving,” I said. “Even if we found a way to dismantle it, there’s no room left in our yard, anyway.”

“It could be worse,” John said, “It could have been a yard sale. Can you imagine that much dirt in the back end of the car?”

“Perish the thought,” I replied.

The barn got even with us a few miles down the road. We pulled into the lot at the park, and right in front of us was a…yes, you guessed it…a large barn.

“Do you think it followed us?” I asked.

“Nah,” John replied, “It doesn’t have any feet.”

I was relieved.

I was actually glad to see the barn. Surrounded by a small meadow, the entire scene was beautiful – a mixture of tall grass and colorful wildflowers. Thankfully, there wasn’t any price tag on the barn. As it turns out, the experiences of that day with my husband were truly priceless.

Silly conversations, such as the one described above, are common between the two of us. In some ways, silly conversations keep our minds sharp, much like playing a word puzzle. But, more importantly, we laugh, and laughter is an elixir for the soul.

There is plenty to life that needs serious thought but don’t forget to play, laugh and enjoy time without reservation. Do it for the sake of fun. Do it for the sake of your health. Laughter frees you from stress, allowing you space to breathe and recharge. Take time to release yourself from the neverending task list. By doing so, your focus will be sharper and your spirit calmer.