I love to laugh, don't you? A popular magazine tells us laughter is the best medicine, and in many ways it's true. I know people that I've never heard laughing, and that is very sad. They seem to go around with a dour look on their face most of the time, and I tend to avoid their negative presence. On the other hand, find the person in the room to whom laughter comes easily and frequently, and you'll likely find lots of people want to be around them.
I remember the first time I met someone like that. He's a senior citizen now and still lives in Mississauga, Ontario. Originally from Wales, he was once a London Bobby (a policeman - for those who don't have a clue what I'm talking about.) He was one of the most jovial people I had ever met, and he had a laugh that was infectious. I remember one time we were out at a Tim Hortons, having a cup of coffee and a chat about the MLM business we were both in at the time. We were sitting by the window and the ledge was set at a downward slope. My buddy didn't notice this, and happened to rest his coffee cup on the ledge. Down it went with a large crash as the cup broke into a hundred pieces on the tile floor. The place went silent, I tried to ignore the looks of everyone, but my friend burst into laughter, stood up and shouted "It was me, I'm guilty!" and as he roared with laughter again, so did everyone else.
The ability to laugh at yourself is truly a gift. It's an attitude quality that finds its genesis in the personality that does not take life too seriously, understanding the brevity of each experience and the potential humour within so many of our experiences. Such a quality brings with it so many benefits, from reduced stress to a more even blood pressure. Yet so many people cannot do this, so many go around as if everything in life is a struggle, with every day some kind of battle against the experience of living, a battle that must be endured if survival is even possible.
I do not believe life is like that. Sure, life brings challenges, that is a certainty, but nobody has the right to dictate our inner response to outer circumstances. Only you can make that choice for you. I asked somebody recently if they were happy, and they referred to their career and said they were never happy, as if their career was to blame. Happiness or sadness is not an effect, it is a cause. If we live our life at the effect of circumstances, those circumstances will dictate our feelings, and that will be our choice. On the other hand, we can make a decision in advance of circumstances, a decision to always be the master of our own response or reaction. That's not always easy, as I indicated in last week's column about my temper, but I am working on it for me!
So let's go back to the idea of laughter. Something happened earlier today that was rather funny. I had rushed out to Arcola to cover an event, and as I made my way to the scene, I had to negotiate a metal fence. I decided to go under it, but as I crouched down, a very loud ripping sound filled my ears. Oh yes, you have guessed it, the entire bottom of my trousers had ripped at the seam, leaving me somewhat exposed and even more shocked. I said something basically unprintable and wondered what to do next. There were people I wanted to talk to, and a fairly large audience of onlookers to what was happening in the area. The last thing I wanted to do was go through that crowd with my butt hanging out!
I took some photos using the zoom lens on the camera, and beat a hasty retreat back to the car. Then I sat there for a minute contemplating life, and the humour suddenly hit me. I laughed all the way back to Carlyle. Back in town, I surveyed the parking lot at a local store, not too many cars, I might be safe. I went through the door and quickly lost myself in the maze of clothing racks, nobody would see the terrible sight! I grabbed a pair of jeans and headed for the changing room, putting them on, I ripped the tags off them and walked to the till. Hmmm, how to explain the fact that I was wearing my purchase? Oh what the heck, I told the girl at the till, and a lady waiting behind me, and we all had a good laugh... And that's surely what life can be about.
Listen, I am not saying every situation warrants laughter, do not get me wrong. When I lost my Mum and Dad in August 07, laughter did not come easily for many months. The Bible says there is a time to laugh and a time to weep, but sadly some people never learn to bring laughter to life as a way of lightening their load.
A few years ago I watched the movie "The Secret." There was a lady in it that had been diagnosed with breast cancer. She and he husband decided not to give in, and they knew she could not afford any kind of negative input. So they surrounded themselves with things that made them laugh, with comedies and with good friends who knew how to take life with a joyful lightness. She survived, and I do not think it was an accident.
So what about you? How long has it been since you had a really good laugh? If you cannot remember then it is simply too long, and you owe it to yourself to do something about it. Rent a comedy DVD, seek out happy people, and give yourself the gift of laughter all over again.
