Saved By Laughter

A few weeks ago, I had returned from a weeklong conference and thought it would be nice to have a girl’s breakfast at Cora’s. Although I was pleased to be with my children again, my heart was heavy and my mind was distracted by a serious family issue.

As we walked toward the restaurant I struggled to be present, until my dear friend Jolene passed by, glowing with lightness and beauty. Throughout our brief conversation, I imagined her holding up a mirror, reflecting back to me just how depressed my energy had become.

Yes, a family member was in grave danger of losing his life, but there were also two sweet souls squeezing my fingers, eager to enjoy life with me. At a moment’s notice, I made the commitment to break out of the blues.

While waiting for our orders to arrive, my youngest plopped a strawberry into her orange juice, following it with a spontaneous release of laughter. I reluctantly joined in, inviting myself to be buoyed up by her natural state of joy.

Recalling the stats that children laugh roughly 100 times a day, while adults average zero to four times a day, I continued laughing and, of course, the kids laughed with me. Before too long, my energy had shifted and I was able to see and feel the blessings in my life again.

Sometimes we need to be reminded that life is filled with fun. In fact, there are a million different reasons to laugh right now, in this very moment! Laughter not only uplifts our mood and lightens our load, it releases healthy hormones, decreases the damaging effects of stress and boosts our immunity.

On your mark, set…LAUGH!

Jenny