Happily Ever Laughter!

Remember the song, ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy’ by Bobby McFerrin? It was one of those songs that replayed in your mind for hours after it was over. The title words were so repetitive, and the music rather odd, but the chorus keeps haunting me these days, “….In every life, we have some trouble, but when you worry, you make them double.” We can hear it, know it in our minds, have the desire to be happy, worry less and be stress-free but how does one get there from here?

Where has all the laughter gone? Have we lost our joy along life’s way? As children, we laughed hundreds of time per day; as adults that has decreased to a few if any. So, we all know what happened in between ‘then and now’; “life” happened! Children aren’t laughing because they took a sense of humor course, they are laughing because it is second nature to them, it is what God intended. I am quite sure, however, that God did not intend for half the population to have or to die from stress-related illnesses! It’s been proven, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that laughter boosts the immune system, and promotes mental and physical healing. Now, you can try to find happiness in a humor therapy session or a laughing group or make a decision to find it yourself.

We all have stress, probably always will have. We tend to blame life on losing our joy but the reality of it is that, it is not the stress related events smothering our happiness, joy and laughter but our ‘perception’ of them. Perception is a choice, and choices are within our power, so how does a person learn to live on the lighter side of life? How can we learn to make lemonade when life gives us lemons? Are we forgetting to stop and smell the roses, notice the positive, happy, and joyous moments happening along life’s pathway? I wish I had the answers, but I am simply me, living in the same world as you, looking for the same answers.

Maybe we are looking too hard; maybe all we have to do is begin! We all have been gifted with the spirit of joy, we know that because we can all recall that time when butterflies were jumping inside or excitement and anticipation overwhelmed you, or maybe you remember how good it was when you had a good belly laugh. We are all drawn to funny people; laughing is contagious, it connects people in a room, lifts the tension and exudes joy! It is that moment when all fears, control and anxiety are lifted. What better therapy is there, that is given to each of us, free for the asking, hiding somewhere within, waiting to come out? Maybe it is not only about laughing out loud. Not everyone has a sense of humor, not everyone will hear a funny joke 365 days of the year, but we all have that inner laughter called joy, that reassurance that no matter how many lemons life gives you, something tells us that life is worth living and we can still enjoy the lemonade. Once we can reconnect with that spirit within, it will come out and meet those wonderful people who cross our paths every day. It may even change our perception.

Just for today, take a look on the lighter, brighter side of life. If you learn to laugh at yourself, you will never cease to be amused! So, go ahead, smile even if it feels like there is nothing to smile about, go ahead and laugh, even if nothing seems funny; let that serious side of your life know that nothing can stop you from being good to yourself. Love your life; love yourself in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad. Remember that behind every dark cloud, the sun still shines. Simply quoted from the Bible, “a merry heart does good like a medicine, but a broken spirit dries like bones.”

Call it what you will, Human or Humor therapy, but however you chose to find it, take one dose and pass it on. After all, we all deserve to live Happily Ever Laughter! Everyone deserves to see your wonderful smile! Have a very happy week.