Life lessons & laughter

Recently a friend sent me a list of witticisms that make so much sense. Today all we need are a handful of these to ponder—and send us on our way into a new week! I hope they make you laugh, too—or at least smile.

—Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.
—Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time because then you won't have a leg to stand on.
—Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance!
—Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live!
—A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.
—Accept the fact that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue!
—Never buy a car you can't push.
—Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by their Maker!

And, for a chocoholic like me, this one is really important:
—Save the earth. It's the only planet with chocolate!

Laughter is healing

I just got off the phone with my dear sister. Many times, we are quite serious and talk about a wide range of topics from our childhood to our kids and grandkids to national and global events and so much more. But we also are both pretty zany and have a well-developed sense of humor. So we started doing plays on words (one of our favorite things to do since we're both wordsmiths!) and ended up laughing hilariously.

By the time we said "Goodbye," we were both laughing so hard that we barely squeezed out our goodbyes.

I love when that happens. Of all the things I suspect I may lose as I age, I really hope my sense of humor isn't one of them! I really want to hang onto it as long as I can—preferably until I take my last breath.

There are plenty of things to disturb and depress us, a plethora of things to bring sadness into our lives. So it's really crucial that we not lose the ability to laugh—to find the humor in everyday situations and even to laugh at ourselves. If there's nothing in your life about which to laugh, YouTube videos abound with comedy sketches. Even dog and cat videos online will get you laughing, guaranteed.

Are you still exercising your funny bone? Don't forget to add laughter to each day if you can. You'll feel so much better! It truly has healing properties.

Try more laughter

Last week I took a friend to her cataract surgery, staying with her while the medical staff prepped her. Of course, the prep time was the longest; and the surgery itself was only about 20-30 minutes of the 3-1/2 hours we were at the hospital. My friend began to be a bit nervous after about 45 minutes of prepping, so in addition to encouraging her to take deep breaths, I tried laughter.

At one point, when a nurse finished inserting the needle for the intravenous fluids, I joked that it was a good thing she didn't stick it in her arm or leg as did Tim Conway in the Carol Burnett show's episode called "The Dentist." If you have never seen that, follow the link or Google it to see the YouTube video of it. It's absolutely hilarious. The laughter that will result when you see it is almost guaranteed to make you healthier!

So we all had some good laughs and lightened the pre-op room. And that brings me to my point: We all need laughter and humor in our lives. Life can be so heavy and serious at times. And we all have read more than once about the healing properties of laughter. So I urge you to find ways to either introduce or keep humor in your life. It'll help balance you. And it makes all your body functions operate better. You will simply feel better and lighter.

What makes you laugh? Find something to induce a good belly laugh for yourself (and others) today. We can all use more of that!

Add laughter to your day

In an article on health for people in their 70s and beyond, AARP The Magazine included a segment on the value of laughter in which it said:

"Whether you giggle politely or guffaw till your face hurts, don't miss out on a daily chuckle. Laughing can give your immune system a temporary boost, east pain, relax arteries and offer your torso a mini-workout. In a study of people in their late 60s and early 70s, memory improved and stress levels dropped for those who watched 20 minutes of the TV show America's Funniest Home Videos."

The article recommended trying laughter yoga. Never heard of it? Google it and see what comes up. It's a practice that has spread across the globe. Perhaps you can even find a laughter club near you. If not, there surely are YouTube videos so you can do this at home or with a friend. Doing it with others has the greatest benefit, but doing it at home is better than no laughter! 

Watch comedy shows on TV—or catch a funny movie either at the theater or on Netflix or cable TV.

So if laughter is good at that stage of life, why wouldn't it also be good at any age? Do whatever you can to add laughter into your day—and into your life on a regular basis. You'll feel healthier and happier.

Where's that laughter?

Last week friends and I treated ourselves to tickets to the Carol Burnett show in downtown Chicago. At age 83, she is still warm and funny and quite a remarkable woman—a reminder that our age really says very little about us anyway. A few selected replays of some of the funnier moments on her TV shows had us all in stitches. We laughed till we nearly split our sides!

What struck me was how different TV shows are today than back in the 1960s and 1970s when we watched her variety shows. We had variety shows that included lots of laughter and light humor in those days. Today we're more serious and cynical. Humor today seems to have a bite to it. Actually, in Burnett's Q and A with the audience last night (just as she used to do in her TV shows), that topic came up.

We could probably fill pages trying to determine the veracity of this and also delving into the reasons for it. But that's not my point here. What this does for me is to remind me to lighten up a bit and touch back into that sense of humor that includes splitting-your-sides laughter. Yes, life is serious and it's not for sissies. But perhaps we could use a bit more humor, wonder and joy in our lives. And a little less cynicism and anger. What do you think?

'Love more'

Yesterday I mentioned negative posts on Facebook. Goodness knows, there are plenty of those—particularly these days with a race to the White House and the great political divide that seems to separate us as a people.

However, I see many inspirational and positive posts on Facebook, too; and those really make my day. Last night I saw this one:

"A manifesto for a simple life: Eat less, move more. Buy less, make more. Stress less, laugh more. Feel blessed, love more. Find a quiet spot every day and BREATHE."

There really isn't any need to say more. Those thoughts stand on their own. So I invite you to reflect on them today. And don't forget to breathe!

When you make a mistake...

What do you do when you've made a mistake? Beat yourself up with nasty internal messages? Laugh at yourself? Forgive yourself? Let it go?

It probably depends on the type of mistake you've made, right? If it's something extremely serious, it's a little tougher to laugh it off. Or let go.

However, even when we seriously mess up—and even when we unintentionally do harm to others—it is important to forgive ourselves. And to let it go.

If there's something we can do to make amends and to repair the situation, we need to do that, of course. But still, forgiveness and letting go are essential. No good comes from holding on to the mistake, chewing it over like an old bone and staying angry and unforgiving toward ourselves.

When you do make a mistake, assess the damage. See what can be done to repair the situation and any hurt feelings you have caused. Do what needs to be done. Forgive yourself (remembering that forgiveness is a process). And then let go. Move on. Learn any lessons that might be embedded in the situation.

If the situation isn't serious at all, it's good to learn to laugh at yourself, too. It can really help you move on and let go. It's healthy to not always take ourselves so seriously. Laughter really is good medicine.