Humor is our common ground. I have yet to meet a person who does not enjoy a good laugh. Sure, I have met people who do not laugh often, but perhaps they savor humor as others savor a finely aged cheese. And I have encountered people who have the ability to laugh at everything and anything, including themselves. And I have watched humor dissolve a tense situation as deftly as an explosive specialist. And I have watched a grumpy toddler turn into a giggle monster with one silly word. Laughter, as they say, is the best medicine.
Laughter reduces tension in your whole body. Studies show it boosts your immune system, protects your heart and releases endorphins to act as "feel good" chemicals in your body. Laughter chases away the blues and enables you to gain a new perspective to stressful situations. Humor acts as a cohesive bond within your social, family and work relationships. And two more positive things about humor: there are no serious side effects and it's 100% free!
Our family subscribed to Reader's Digest when I was growing up in Carroll County, MD. I so looked forward to the monthly arrival of this magazine because tucked in between the advertisements and feel good stories were hilarious jokes and stories from real people. I am pretty sure I wore my Dad's ear out as I hastily read about the poor sap who inadvertantly hurt his new bride's feelings over her cooking or the Sunday School teacher who had define virgin to a Kindergarten class or the compilations of excuses for missed assignments or work days. Humor in Uniform was one of my favorites because a Corporal was always going to out maneuver a Commander in Chief. I loved anything that challenged authority.
The comics are still my favorite part of any newspaper. I grew up with Calvin and Hobbs, Bloom County, Family Circle, Peanuts, Marmaduke, Doonesbury, Garfield, and Hagar the Horrible. I never understood why Mary Worth or Prince Valiant were included...they were not funny.
My Dad enjoyed watching 60 Minutes but I could not wait for the last five minutes when Andy Rooney would unleash his satirical observation of every day life. I longed to be the next Andy Rooney or Erma Bombeck. While my peers were reading Little House on the Prairie or Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret I was chuckling over The Grass is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank and If Life is a Bowl of Cherries, What Am I Doing in the Pits? Both figured out a way to put the laughter in serious situations and I miss their outlook terribly.
Laughter was always in our house. My Mom, my four Aunts, my Grandmom and my Great Aunt all have the same laugh. And I am sorry, no matter the horrendous, down in the dumps, no good, terrible, horrible day you were having, if they were laughing, you were laughing, too. A lot was forgiven over laughter. A lot of hurt was healed with laughter. And a lot of the best family memories are embedded with laughter. We even have a howler monkey story that has become a bit of a legend in our family history. But that story is for another day. People may not have always understood us, but they always laughed with us.
I am grateful my parents and brothers taught me to laugh freely at most situations. God and laughter will get you through life was a commonly heard quote in our house. Our family, like most families, have had their share of sorrow in our life story. And we mourn for a bit, but before we know it, someone is telling the story of when I earned the name Princess Pathfinder on our camping trips because I always managed to get lost in the campground. Or how Lou and Tom would be in opposite corners of the basement, pretend fighting, waiting for Mom to come barreling down the steps, followed by a "Sheesh!" when she discovered their shenanigans. Only to be repeated thirty minutes later. Or how the fireman asked my Mom if she ever saw a cat skeleton in a tree when our cat would not climb down. Or my Dad telling a joke so bad, only a child could double over in laughter at the sheer corniness of his words. His infectious laugh would carry through air, followed by a "Gotcha!". Oh, Dad, you silly ol' bear.
It makes perfect sense to me that good humor has made the happy people list. Without laughter, our lives would be dull indeed. And I would hate to go through one day without a hint of laughter. Dreadful, I say. Simply dreadful. So my simple advice for today is to take two heaping spoonfuls of good humor and then call me in the morning so we can share a laugh together. See you in the funny papers!
Laughter reduces tension in your whole body. Studies show it boosts your immune system, protects your heart and releases endorphins to act as "feel good" chemicals in your body. Laughter chases away the blues and enables you to gain a new perspective to stressful situations. Humor acts as a cohesive bond within your social, family and work relationships. And two more positive things about humor: there are no serious side effects and it's 100% free!
Our family subscribed to Reader's Digest when I was growing up in Carroll County, MD. I so looked forward to the monthly arrival of this magazine because tucked in between the advertisements and feel good stories were hilarious jokes and stories from real people. I am pretty sure I wore my Dad's ear out as I hastily read about the poor sap who inadvertantly hurt his new bride's feelings over her cooking or the Sunday School teacher who had define virgin to a Kindergarten class or the compilations of excuses for missed assignments or work days. Humor in Uniform was one of my favorites because a Corporal was always going to out maneuver a Commander in Chief. I loved anything that challenged authority.
The comics are still my favorite part of any newspaper. I grew up with Calvin and Hobbs, Bloom County, Family Circle, Peanuts, Marmaduke, Doonesbury, Garfield, and Hagar the Horrible. I never understood why Mary Worth or Prince Valiant were included...they were not funny.
My Dad enjoyed watching 60 Minutes but I could not wait for the last five minutes when Andy Rooney would unleash his satirical observation of every day life. I longed to be the next Andy Rooney or Erma Bombeck. While my peers were reading Little House on the Prairie or Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret I was chuckling over The Grass is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank and If Life is a Bowl of Cherries, What Am I Doing in the Pits? Both figured out a way to put the laughter in serious situations and I miss their outlook terribly.
Laughter was always in our house. My Mom, my four Aunts, my Grandmom and my Great Aunt all have the same laugh. And I am sorry, no matter the horrendous, down in the dumps, no good, terrible, horrible day you were having, if they were laughing, you were laughing, too. A lot was forgiven over laughter. A lot of hurt was healed with laughter. And a lot of the best family memories are embedded with laughter. We even have a howler monkey story that has become a bit of a legend in our family history. But that story is for another day. People may not have always understood us, but they always laughed with us.
I am grateful my parents and brothers taught me to laugh freely at most situations. God and laughter will get you through life was a commonly heard quote in our house. Our family, like most families, have had their share of sorrow in our life story. And we mourn for a bit, but before we know it, someone is telling the story of when I earned the name Princess Pathfinder on our camping trips because I always managed to get lost in the campground. Or how Lou and Tom would be in opposite corners of the basement, pretend fighting, waiting for Mom to come barreling down the steps, followed by a "Sheesh!" when she discovered their shenanigans. Only to be repeated thirty minutes later. Or how the fireman asked my Mom if she ever saw a cat skeleton in a tree when our cat would not climb down. Or my Dad telling a joke so bad, only a child could double over in laughter at the sheer corniness of his words. His infectious laugh would carry through air, followed by a "Gotcha!". Oh, Dad, you silly ol' bear.
It makes perfect sense to me that good humor has made the happy people list. Without laughter, our lives would be dull indeed. And I would hate to go through one day without a hint of laughter. Dreadful, I say. Simply dreadful. So my simple advice for today is to take two heaping spoonfuls of good humor and then call me in the morning so we can share a laugh together. See you in the funny papers!
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