LOL

I LOVE to laugh. I don’t think that is a surprise to any of you who know me a little bit. I grew up in a house with people who liked to laugh, and in fact, when I think back over my parents’ life, I am sometimes surprised that they were able to laugh so easily. They were children of the depression, and they had plenty to feel traumatized about. I believe that somewhere along the way, they decided to look on the bright side of things whenever they could. 

My dad read the comics in the Akron Beacon Journal every night, and my mom read Erma Bombeck books. My mother always found something funny about any situation we ended up in. They didn’t instruct my brother and me to find the sunny side of the street, or to look for the funny, they simply modeled it. And as a result, my brother and I share the same belly laugh and tears in our eyes when we are together. This (PIC of Nancy and Roger) is what we usually look like when we are under the same roof. Here we are just trying to pose for a routine picture…..and oh how quickly things devolved.

We have all heard the phrase: Laughter is good for the soul. 

American philosopher and psychologist William James wrote: “We don’t laugh because we’re happy — we’re happy because we laugh.” William James

Laughter is good for our health and good for our relationships. Good for our health, because laughter boosts our immune system, triggers the release of endorphins, relaxes our whole body, relieves stress and protects our heart.

Good for our mental health, because laughter adds joy and zest to our lives. Laughter eases anxiety, improves our mood and strengthens our resilience.

Laughter benefits us socially as well, because laughter strengthens our relationships and attracts others to us. Laughing together builds teamwork and helps to defuse conflict. Like tap dancing, you can’t feel anxious, angry or sad when you’re laughing. 

When we laugh with other people, we build a stronger bond. When we see people that we haven’t seen for a period of time, and we begin to reminisce, we often talk about the moments and memories that we shared together that caused us to laugh together. 

Shared laughter has a healing effect on us. Often just the sound of laughter is contagious. When we hear someone laugh, we are much more likely to join in, even if we have no idea why that person is laughing. Once we have laughed over a shared experience, we are bonded to each other in a new way. 

As a teacher I often used humor in my classroom as a way to unite the class or to diffuse conflict or disagreements. I remember one time when I was teaching a middle school class at

Broad Ripple and one of the male students was about to go off the rails because he was mad at someone in the room, and I just turned into a seventh grade boy, and said,  “Stop being a poopy-head.” — and of course everyone started howling. And he did stop being a poopy-head.

Have you ever had the experience of laughing and then suddenly the laughter turns to crying? I think I have the explanation for that. This is just my theory. Look at the anatomy of laughter. What our body does. 

When we first start to laugh, we might cover our mouth. We draw in a big breath, we might shake our shoulders, we look down, or we throw our heads up and back and clap our hands together.  We might be so exhausted from laughing that we fall over or lie down. We might laugh so hard that tears come to our eyes.

ALL of those movements are the same anatomy for the act of crying. Cover our mouth, draw a big breath, shake our shoulders, look down, throw our heads up and back, clap our hands together, fall over or lie down, tears coming to our eyes. 

So it makes absolute sense to me that when our body is behaving the same way for both laughing and crying, and if we have some grief or sorrow buried down in there that needs to come out, and our body says — well, we are moving in the right way, so I think I’ll just shift over to crying now.

That happened to me once. I had been playing racquetball with a friend, and after a crazy point we both got tripped up and fell down, which started us laughing. Big laughter, for several minutes, and then all of a sudden, I drew a big breath and sobbed for a couple of minutes. It made sense, because my father had passed away just a few weeks prior to this day. 

My friends, laughter is the best medicine. In fact, it is our birthright, a natural part of life that is innate and inborn. 

The Bible reminds us that there is a time for everything — 

“…a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.” 

— Ecclesiastes 3:4

Even if we did not grow up in a house where laughter was a common sound, we can learn to laugh at any stage of life. 

I encourage all of us to try to have more joy and laughter in our lives. Here are a few things we can do:

SMILE: smile is the beginning of laughter, and like laughter, it’s contagious. When you look at someone or see something even mildly pleasing, practice smiling. Smile at people when you are in public. Notice the effect on others. 

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS: literally make a list. When we start considering the positive aspects of our life, we will be distanced from negative thoughts that block humor and laughter.

SPEND TIME WITH FUN, PLAYFUL PEOPLE:

Spend time with friends who laugh, and laugh at themselves. Seek out people who like to laugh. 

As Jay Leno said, “You cannot be mad at somebody who makes you laugh — it’s as simple as that.”

FIND YOUR INNER CHILD: Oh, to be a child again — where laughs come so much more often. Get in touch with laughing at ordinary things, like a child does. 

When a baby laughs for the first time, it is no doubt an unforgettable moment for family members. A baby’s first laugh is a joyful and perhaps even reassuring sign to parents and family that this child is healthy, happy, and on the right track toward enjoying a fulfilling life. 

In sacred Navajo tradition, a baby’s first laugh demonstrates their readiness and willingness to fully join their families in this physical life. The belief behind this tradition is that when a baby is born, she belongs to two worlds: the spirit world and the physical one. The first laugh is seen as a sign of the baby’s desire to leave the spirit world and join her earthly family and community. 

Perhaps it is because of the fragility of new life that infants are treated as still “between worlds” for those delicate first few months, until parents hear a sign of joy and wellbeing that reassures them their baby is healthy enough to survive. 

The arrival of that first giggle is certainly an expression of joy. And joy is a big part of what makes us human, so it makes sense that we are only fully human once we have the capacity for laughter. 

Because of the significance that a baby’s first laugh holds in Navajo tradition, family members watch, wait and listen intently to hear that initial little giggle. When the baby finally laughs, it’s time to celebrate the journey to their earthly family and welcome this new life into the community with the First Laugh Ceremony. 

At the First Laugh Ceremony, gifts of rock salt and candy are given. The focus is on giving because the child will now be encouraged as they grow into adulthood to remain generous with their laughter, with their joy, and with their happiness. The hope is that the child will learn to bring joy and happiness to other people. 

May we all take a lesson from the Navajo who respect and honor the ability we all have to laugh out loud. May we all find ways to be generous with our laughter, with our joy, and with our happiness, so that we can make this world a better place. Amen.

Comedian Milton Berle said: 

“Laughter is an instant vacation.”

What a beautiful image. Laughter can indeed take us away from our troubles, and heal us. Let’s try to spend more time laughing.