Day 1613

This card arrived for Gus today. It was from his “Golden girlfriend” in Colorado and the entire family was delighted when he helped open his card! Aubry has rather long legs, so she is gracing the front of the card as a giraffe! The smiles and laughter were more than welcome!

Laughter really is good medicine. At our home, levity ranges from “Dad Jokes” to sophisticated humor and we embrace the entire continuum. A good joke, carefully offered, is welcomed. In the appropriate setting, there is nothing better than a good belly laugh.

We have all experienced grappling with laughter in the wrong setting. Stifling it in a church, classrooms or other sedate places can sometimes make it even worse. The harder you try to control it, the funnier the situation becomes.

Going back to my own childhood, there was one horribly out-of-control laughter session with my dear Marlene. We were attending a ceremony for Eastern Star, where her mother was being inducted into a high office. We were up in a balcony (never a good choice for the young) when we got the giggles so badly that we were crying. I seem to recall the entire row of chairs shaking as we tried to find some semblance of control. Not even a few “warning looks” from the ceremonial elite could rob us of our mirth.

Another time, when I was a professor at St. Mary’s University, I totally lost control during the serious nature of presentations and burst out laughing. One of my middle-aged students approached the lectern wearing a bright orange, puffy vest. Another student yelled from the back, “Hey, Fred! Did the greeter at Walmart put up a fight when you took his vest?” I totally lost it until tears streamed down my face. Of course, my college students loved that! Needless to say, after I sat down, caught my breath and wiped my eyes, we took a short break and finished the presentations. Not one of my proudest moments!

Laughter releases inner happiness and we all need that from time-to-time. Bring on the smiles, giggles and full-blown stomach-hurting laughter. The world will feel lighter!