A few years ago when Ian was four years old, he said, “tickling brings out my happy.”
My husband and I both laughed and thought what a great comment. And, when I later thought of it, I realized, that is quite profound for someone so young. Our son often will say, “Daddy, please tickle me.” You see, he loves to be happy and loves to laugh. He is truly a gem in our lives!!
I too love to laugh and be happy. When I was young, my sister and two of our closest friends had a club dedicated to giggling and having fun. We had a special name for ourselves and a special quote that we always shared. I will have to check with them to see if I can share it. But, needless to say, these were fun times that I will always remember. We are all still friends and still enjoy being happy together.
But since I have been an adult, some days it’s harder to be happy and to be able to laugh. Sometimes sad and terrible things happen or stress can overwhelm you, or you may deal with a health crisis or a serious loss. Sometimes all you can do is try to make it through the day, much less even consider laughing. But I do honestly believe that with time and faith in the Lord, that each day can get easier. Even after a great loss, you eventually will stop having so much pain and can remember the good and fun times that you have shared with the special people in your life. As the song goes, One day at a time, sweet Jesus!
I have several things that make me laugh and truly happy: the laughter of a child which seems contagious to me — especially my own son; a funny story from a friend or relative; the inside joke with a close confidant; the jokes that my cousin tells; movies such as Airplane, and Mel Brooks movies; tv shows like The Cosby Show, Designing Women, and The Golden Girls (yes I am a child of the 80s); and current shows Psych and Hot In Cleveland.
And, I have to say one of the funniest people who I have ever seen is Carol Burnett. I really enjoyed her variety show and thought she, Vicki Lawrence, Tim Conway, Harvey Korman, and Lyle Waggoner were some of the funniest people ever on television. Do you remember the Gone With The Wind sketch? Carol Burnett has said that sketch had the longest laughter response of any they did. And, I can understand why – every detail is hilarious. Let me know if you haven’t seen it and I will explain. Even thinking about it now makes me laugh and seeing it, I laugh until I cry.
In the movie, Steel Magnolias, a great line is “Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion.” I have laughed so hard that I started crying. I don’t remember the reason that led to that, but I do remember what fun it was. Another quote I have heard for many years is, laughter is the best medicine. Do you agree?
I hope that you too can laugh and truly enjoy each day you are blessed with.
And, I will close this blog with a final thought, I wonder if despite what may happen in our lives we can still find our happy. I hope that we can!
I Still Wonder... 