Laugh and the World Laughs with You.
Whenever I hear the word Laughter I think of Robert Plant.
“Does anybody remember laughter?”
Rumor has it that he added that line spontaneously (while singing Stairway to Heaven in case you’re still trying to place it) while playing in concert back in 1973.
No matter his reason, or lack of reason he might add (since he said later that he regretted it), when I hear that line it reminds me that sometimes I DON’T remember laughter. Maybe we all forget it sometimes.
Like I mentioned in my post on Kindness, life has a way of hardening us… and I think that taking things (or ourselves) too seriously could be one of the symptoms.
So, I wasn’t sure about my lady here at first. The color scheme is a bit weird, and her glasses don’t match her well coordinated outfit, but maybe that’s the point.
The sunny colored glasses are her ‘funny’ glasses, and they are making her laugh. They’ve reminded her not to take everything (or herself) so seriously.
While it’s important to laugh, it’s important to be able to laugh ‘at yourself’ as well. Not in a self-deprecating way – but in a fun and loving way.
I was going to illustrate a group of older ladies laughing out loud at a man in a hospital gown who was showing a little too much buttocks, but one of the articles I read mentioned that laughing at someone else’s expense was a no-no. So, I opted for the glasses and saved the old guy some embarrassment.
Since they say that “Laughter is the Best Medicine,” and since I LOVE doing research so much (NOT!), I thought I’d look into that a little further.
According to the Mayo Clinic, laughter increases your oxygen intake, stimulates your heart and lungs, and prompts your brain to release more endorphins. Laughter can also cool down your stress response, and decrease your heart rate as well as your blood pressure.
In the long term, laughter can improve your immune system, relieve pain, improve mood, and… well… just make you happy.
Another article I found showed that laughing reduced cortisol (the stress hormone) levels. This, in turn, is beneficial for overall health because chronically elevated cortisol can lead to all sorts of health problems.
I can’t swear by these claims, but I know that I overcame some serious, dark, and tearful times with the help of my friends who made me laugh.
I guess the moral of the story is this… when stress is high, or you are feeling down… fire up (or stream) your favorite comedy show, call a funny friend, or put on your sunny glasses and try to laugh at yourself a little. It could help you mentally and physically.
“We don’t laugh because we’re happy,
we’re happy because we laugh.”
–William James
So, that’s the L word for you! Thank you for reading/viewing… I hope you enjoyed something here.
I’ll see you around soon for the letter M!
a sprinkle of faith 
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