Laughter and Joy

Laughter is the tonic, the relief, the surcease for pain.

                                                                                      Charlie Chaplin

                       

Did you happen to see The Laughing Baby video that went “viral” this week? (We’ve added it here for your pleasure!) What a great reminder of how contagious joy can be.  I can’t imagine anyone seeing it and not breaking into, at least, a smile! 

I was struck by the number of “hits” the video received (9,000,000+ as of last count!) and by how quickly it flew around the world.  Clearly it was a much-needed tonic in the midst of the unrest in the world right now.  Watching it (about 12 times!) made me think about whom else might have seen it and how they might have been affected by it.

I hope that The Laughing Baby was viewed by combat troops (ours and theirs) in war torn countries of the world, by people caught up in the uprisings in the Middle-East, by folks living in nursing facilities, or homeless shelters, by hungry children, and by the people in Haiti, Australia and Japan struggling to find their way back to a new normal. And I hope that in the minutes that followed their viewing, people might have reached out to someone with a kind word or a gesture of help or felt hope for themselves for a while.

I hope that those who didn’t have the opportunity to be delighted by The Laughing Baby were delighted by another source of joy that day; that maybe they got a hug they hadn’t expected or found a bit of sun to sit in or watched a butterfly or scratched a dog’s ears or heard their own children laughing.  I hope that maybe they found shelter from the flying bullets or news that a loved one was safe.  I hope that maybe they heard the word remission or their favorite hymn.

I hope The Laughing Baby’s father, who chose to turn the angst of receiving an employment rejection letter into a game of giggles and happiness, is repaid with the best job ever and a future of great success.

I hope that The Laughing Baby (Mica) has a zillion more moments of pure joy in his life, and when he hears the story of how he made the whole world laugh, he’ll say proudly, “Yeah, that was me!”

And I hope that after you watch The Laughing Baby, you, as I did, will also remember how good it feels to be in that tears streaming down your face, gasping for breath, blowing milk out your nose, peeing your pants, rolling on the ground ecstasy and together we can spread it around and cause an epidemic!

Feel Good – Do Good!

ENJOY!

Dorothy:  Well, I don’t know if it’s the latest 18 inches of snow or, the onset of cabin fever or, the….. – but -  whatever IT is – I seem to have hit a wall.  Somehow my resistance to the chaos – the world’s, our state’s, my family’s and MINE - has diminished and I’m finding myself edgy and out of sorts. I know, as Susan discussed last week, that sometimes you just have to crawl in the hole – but as she said, “it feels REALLLLLLLLLY awful, “ and I want OUT!  --- Since starting this project back in January – I really have been on a very nice, even keel.  I’ve been putting in that 51% of effort to make some changes in my life, I’ve been aware of boundaries and cautious of judgment, and although it’s been hard work at times – I’ve been inspired by the outcomes and cheered by my progress.  Then what happened?  LIFE HAPPENED – HUMAN HAPPENED – FAMILY DYNAMICS HAPPENED – EGO HAPPENED!  I have to remember that hard days happen to happy people, too, and that even the most well maintained machinery needs a little tune-up now and again!   So I’ve called in the mechanics: my Thai Masseuse, my walking partner and confidant, my yoga instructor.  I’ve made plans to visit my favorite Barista; will gather my family to share a meal, will play with my paints, and call a friend I’ve been missing.--- I’ve been over a few bumps in the road before and know this well- worn chaises has a lot more happy trails ahead, so for now I’m just going to try to be kind to myself and keep my eye on the horizon!!! Hopefully, it's my next great inspiration! 

Susan: Laughter truly is the best medicine, and I’ve had a wonderful week of intense laughter.  Last Friday my husband and I met with delightful new friends and began the most laughter filled weekend I can remember.   Saturday was a giggle-filled day ending with a superb dining experience in the evening … the company, the wine, and the amazing food elicited smiles from the depths of my sole.   And the skiing this week in many inches of new, soft snow!  We laughed, we teased; we skied until our poor legs couldn’t stand up to any more fun.  Add to that more fun with wonderful friends and more delicious food and drink and, you guessed it, more laughter.  Honestly, we laughed until our sides ached.  It’s a tonic, a scrumptious elixir that makes the endorphins zing.  My wish for you is that you laugh until your sides ache at least one time this week.

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D & S

A lovely post script:  While meeting at our "office" - our favorite local coffee house - to review this weeks post, we were again delighted by the spontaneous and infectious laughter of a child.  Sitting with his parents and Grandmother, a young toddler was given an Iphone to play with and discovered an apparently hilarious game.  His unbridled guffaws resounded about the shop and within seconds, everyone was giggling; eyes lifted from computer screens and newspapers, smiles popped up over every latte and joy spilled out everywhere!  Such an unexpected and appreciated gift to all!