MONDAY'S MUSINGS—SHARING LAUGHTER

Laughter isn't just the best medicine, it’s life’s saving grace.

Do you like to laugh? Goof around with friends and giggle and laugh? Tell jokes? Watch funny movies?

Laughter is such a great freebie in life. It’s contagious. It helps us cope with things, resets our mood, and makes our body healthier.

Did you also know when laughter, humor, and a playful spirit become an integrated part of your life your creativity increases (good news for writers, eh)? Indulging in play with family, friends and coworkers makes you more relaxed. It creates a positive attitude and gives you needed balance in your perspective of situations and life. Being playful and sharing laughter helps solve problems and connect with others. It gives you moments of joy and happiness. Age has nothing to do with our sense of fun and play. We can and should indulge in play regardless of our age.

Laughter is a powerful remedy to stress, pain, and conflict. Nothing works faster or more dependably to bring your mind and body back into balance than a good laugh. There are numerous physiological changes in our body as a result of laughter.

For instance:

Laughter relaxes your body. Did you know that a good round of laughter will relieve stress and tension and relax your muscles up to 45 minutes later. 

It also helps focus your mind. Perhaps that’s why those in dangerous jobs tend to joke and poke at one another—think soldiers, police, and firefighters just to name a few. 

Laughter also releases the body's feel good chemicals—endorphins. This chemical can temporarily relieve pain or reduce it dramatically. 

Laughter makes the heart feel good. It reduces stress; helps increase the function of blood vessels, which increases the blood flow. Win-win for the cardiovascular system. 

Laughter boosts the immune system by decreasing stress hormones and increasing the immune cells and antibodies. Those help fight off disease.

There are moments in life it’s hard to smile much less laugh. When you’re in a state of sadness, you have further to travel to get to humor and laughter. In reality, this is when you need the laughter the most.

We've lost five precious people in my family. I won’t kid you it’s a hard one to cope with. One of the things we, as a family, do is share funny stories about the one we've lost. Or a special memory. A time of, do you remember when…? We gather together and celebrate the life of the one we've lost. Yeah, we cry and we laugh. But it helps remind us that we’re together and of the beauty of life and the endurance of love.

Laughter unites people during difficult times. Laughter gives you the courage and strength to find new sources of meaning and hope. Even in the most difficult of times, a laugh—or even a smile—can go a long way toward making you feel better. Laughter also creates psychological distance, which can help you avoid feeling overwhelmed.

While I have my serious moments I don’t take myself too seriously. I love laughter and I indulge in it frequently. I’m drawn to people who like to laugh. I also look for other ways to enjoy humor and laughter. 

You tube has god knows how many clips of funny things. Usually something from movie I enjoyed. For instance, there were some funny scenes in The Avengers—I love the scene where the Hulk beats the snot out of Loki and walks away after calling him a puny god. 

I like to watch movies that make me laugh. I like to make time for fun things like bowling, miniature golfing, swimming, a barbecue with friends, or a game night of cards or board games.

Life is so much better when you share laughter. Laughter really is the best medicine!

References: Web MD, Organic Health, Medical News

MONDAY'S MUSING: IMMERSING MYSELF IN LIFE

“The tragedy of life is not death…but what we let die inside of us while we live.” ~Norman Cousins

Have you ever interacted with someone who is negative and bitter? Had a conversation with someone who has nothing to share but life’s catastrophes? How do you feel?

I'm a skilled conversationalist and in those situations where someone joins the conversation and removes all laughter and fun from the conversation, resists all gambits to change the subject or a nudge toward good and fun —c'mon there has to be something good in their life, right? I can't wait to get away. 

Sometimes people need to be heard and validated. They need a compassionate ear and there is nothing wrong with taking the time to listen. I do frequently. Where I have to draw the line is if the pattern is a self-repeating loop and it doesn't matter what you say or do, this is the road they're on and it's venomous to anyone around them. It encases your feet in quicksand, swallows the light, sucks up the oxygen and beats against any joy or good. 

And it’s heartbreaking to see and interact with someone who has let the light within die.

Sadder still, is the fact you can’t fix people, no matter how much you love them. And you wish you could. 

A hard lesson learned in life:  the only one who can effect change is each individual. Only they have the power and ability to change what they are or their attitude toward life. If we believe anything else we’re beating our heads against a wall.

Spider webs in the early morning

No matter what happens in our life and granted there are many tragedies in life, the only thing we have control over is our self and our attitude. There is still good things to be found in life regardless of our circumstances and beauty in abundance if only we allow ourselves to open our eyes and see it. Absorb it.

San Francisco 

And it’s not the big things that bring quiet joy and add to our collection pieces of happiness. It’s the little things. A snatch of song that makes us tap our feet or sigh at the exquisite play of notes, watching the sunrise or sunset and soak in the scents and sounds and seeing the richest colors and textures. Watching the seagulls dip and sway over the ocean or the otters bobbing in the waves. Even the ugliest city, by day, is beautiful when it’s lit up at night. City lampposts whose light hide the ugly and give a mythical feel to the streets.

City Lampposts computer wallpaper

Ever watch the uninhibited laughter of children? You can’t help but grin or laugh in response. Our children saying, I love you, or the smell of a child after a bath, snuggling beside you and wanting a story. What a feast for the eyes to see the dance of the butterflies over a field of wildflowers or coming across a beautiful spider web collecting the mist of the early morning. The scatter of drops of dew shining like diamonds as the sun rises. Watching the skies turn charcoal gray and darker clouds racing and churning across the horizon and how green the trees and vegetation is against such a backdrop. I love the smell of rain in the air. The wonder of fireflies rising in the summer night.

Thing like these renew my spirit. I choose to immerse myself in life. To see the wonder of it all. To grab the little things and celebrate. I choose to let go of toxic and destructive emotions and steer clear the people who foster them. 

Life is too short and precious to do otherwise.  J 

“The control center of your life is your attitude.” ~Norman Cousins

Pictures taken either by me (most of them), from my wallpapers collection, or from wiki commons