On Being Silly

The word "silly" gets a bad rap in our culture. As in, "you're silly" (translation: "you're weird and childish"). However, being silly evokes something deep inside us, which might be most apty characterized by the following image:
You are in the lion's den. Unsure as to how you arrived there, or why you are there, you panic. Sweat congeals on your forehead, in your arm pits, along your thighs.
Lions are not friendly--at least, most lions are not friendly. You think: are these lions friendly? Could they be friendly? What is the chance that these lions might possibly be friendly, versus the chance that I am definitely going to be eaten by them.
Then: you wake up. Yes, yes, I've pulled the "you wake up" scheme which many of us find terribly annoying in writers or storytellers. But, go along with me for a minute here.
So, you wake up. It is a Saturday morning. Your wife is resting peacefully beside you. You decide that maybe this morning you will make pancakes, and drizzle them with maple syrup.
Then, you think: "drizzle" is a funny word. No, "drizzle" is a silly word. You think of drizzling your pancakes with maple syrup, and you smile.
The more you think of this--especially after having been terrified by the dream of lions--the happeier you feel, the lighter you feel.
You begin to laugh louder, smile wider. Soon, you find that you are in a silly mood. Your silliness wakes up your wife, and you laughing makes her laugh. By the time you sit down with pancakes and maple syrup, you think to yourself, "silly is not so bad."