Cultivating Laughter
EDITED:
Often, when we become so consumed by a problem, or a serious issue, many of us, myself included, forget to include humor and/or laughter in our lives. I can say unequivocally, that I am guilty of this character defect, and often when the tough gets going, I become very serious. It is strange, actually, because I love to laugh, and although my personal sense of humor may be considered dark, and a bit off color for many people, it is still a large part of who I am.
I have had the priveledge to meet a reader of two of this blog. One woman bought me this pair of Billy Bob teeth which had the appearance of being corroded and stained, and I used to put them on when others would least expect it and smile! Others would respond by rolling in the isles with laughter.
It is important to keep one's sense of humor, no matter what is going on around us, for our own sakes especially. Laughter, as the saying goes, can be very good medicine.
In fact the other day, when I was feeling rather sad, I went to read the spam email that is sent to me. There must have been at least 100 of them, advertising how a man could enlarge his penis. One started at 2 inches, and they continued ending at 9! I was laughing so loud at that thought that it made me forget about the sadness of the day.
Let us all think of the 3 ls: life in the moment, love, and laugh!
How has/does laughter affect your life.? If you can, tell me something that would make me laugh for today!
Thank you for your minds.
Often, when we become so consumed by a problem, or a serious issue, many of us, myself included, forget to include humor and/or laughter in our lives. I can say unequivocally, that I am guilty of this character defect, and often when the tough gets going, I become very serious. It is strange, actually, because I love to laugh, and although my personal sense of humor may be considered dark, and a bit off color for many people, it is still a large part of who I am.
I have had the priveledge to meet a reader of two of this blog. One woman bought me this pair of Billy Bob teeth which had the appearance of being corroded and stained, and I used to put them on when others would least expect it and smile! Others would respond by rolling in the isles with laughter.
It is important to keep one's sense of humor, no matter what is going on around us, for our own sakes especially. Laughter, as the saying goes, can be very good medicine.
In fact the other day, when I was feeling rather sad, I went to read the spam email that is sent to me. There must have been at least 100 of them, advertising how a man could enlarge his penis. One started at 2 inches, and they continued ending at 9! I was laughing so loud at that thought that it made me forget about the sadness of the day.
Let us all think of the 3 ls: life in the moment, love, and laugh!
How has/does laughter affect your life.? If you can, tell me something that would make me laugh for today!
Thank you for your minds.
16 Comments:
Laughter does so much for the human spirit.
Hmmm, how about the following laws on the books in Texas?
- It is illegal for one to shoot a buffalo from the second story of a hotel.
- It is illegal to drive without windshield wipers. You don't need a windshield, but you must have the wipers.
- It is illegal to have anything protruding from your bumper unless it is attached with a chain
- It is illegal to milk another person's cow.
- It is illegal to spit on the sidewalk.
Be careful when you visit!
P.S. I shamelessly copied these from some goofy website.
When I get down on the floor to do my push-ups, Tango gets underneath me, rolls on her back, puts all four paws on me and pushes back. We do this till I reach 86 - she never tires, but I can barely make it to the end.
http://twodogsbarking.blogspot.com/index.html has some funny old fashion jokes on it. Check it out.
I agree. It is sometimes difficult, but it is the only device we have to keep ourselves from self-destructing. Having a young son helps me laugh because he's almost always doing something worth smiling about - though had you asked me that at 3AM this morning you may have gotten a different response. Teething. And a fever/cold picked up from day care. Couple that with an imminent divorce and having to take the day off of work even though I need the money and you'd think today would be a bad day. But the baby Tylenol has kicked in and J is scooting on his forehead across the rug to catch one fo the dogs. How can I not laugh?
In PA it is illegal for your donkey to wear a hat on Sundays.
It's also illegal for liquor to be sold anywhere in the state on Sundays - in PA you can only get alcohol at a beer distributor or state store. No convenience store beer for the Quakers!
In ancient Greece it was illegal to break wind in the presence of a nobleman.
Jean luc-yes, laughter is indeed a gift for our souls.
Fred - the one about the buffalo did make me laugh. As Stravinsky says, an ordinary man originates, whereas a genius copies! Thank you.
Sober -how wonderful that Tango is incorporated in your Yoga routine. Argon is a part of my morning exercises, but ususally, he sits and watches me on the tred-mill or I am running after him.
United -that is so funny about the donkey, thank you!
I always get a laugh from my students over the course of a day. That's a blessing.
I was remiss in not sending you a pair of coke-bottle glasses too. :-)
A former colleague (and current friend) does research on the way positive emotions broaden and build social networks, and how social networks in turn help people flourish.
Welcoming lightheartedness into your life, therefore, is an investment in health and healing, not just a diversion. You are very smart to keep turning back to laughter, especially given the burdens you've been carrying, my friend.
Okay, so now for something that made me laugh recently. My 1-year-old daughter has been learning animal sounds. She can do sheep, dog, cat, cow, snake, monkey, etc. To trip her up, the other day I said, "What sound does Daddy make?" and she looked hard at me, paused a beat, and went, "ppppttththbbb," which sounded exactly as flatulent as I'm sure she didn't mean it to. G and I laughed until we were almost crying.
I think it's a wonderful challenge to find something humorous in even the darkest times. Of course there are times that agony obliterates all, and there's no help for that. But whenever possible, I search for that silver lining in the stormcloud. It isn't always a bellylaugh; sometimes it's just a simple "Well, THAT sucked but THIS part of it is of a benefit to me/us".
For instance, I LOVE sailing. I was invited to go sailing on Sunday but due to problems with the boat's engine, we were never able to launch. Instead, the guys spent hours hunkered over smelly electrical parts, while the girls chatted or roamed about the docks. We didn't get to go sailing (bad) but we still got to visit and explore the docks, which wouldn't have happened otherwise. And, the day still involved yummy food, watching the water, and enjoying the weather. So, there were still plenty of benefits to enjoy!
A- it is indeed a blessing.
K- coke bottle glasses...Now, I am intreged. That is too funny about Fi's sounds imitiating G.
S-sailing is an awesome hobby. Feel good!
I need my daily laughs and an occasional case of hysterical laugh.
Reading specific Blogs is a good start.
There are people who no matter if they try or not make me laugh and I try to encounter them every now and then.
Last but not least I get email jokes in the form of fun videos or just plain jokes that brighten the dull moments of the day.
I used to follow Fred's blog, and he is now offline.
I followed your blog, and you are going offline.
I am blogging less and less.
Perhaps we go through times in our lives where we have a stronger urge to feel heard and understood.
I wish you well.
WW
Hey Sweetie...
Have a good weekend.
Weekends make me laugh...
Barbara,
Please keep in touch. I will miss you!
Hi Barbara.
I don't know if you are getting your comments, but if so I'd sure like to stay in touch. Send me an email some time... or at least stop by my blog sometime and say "Hi."
Mike
On a whim I checked your blog. Thank you for the posting of April 15. May we all remember.
WW
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