The Gift of LaughterThe Gift of Laughter My mother was a very wise woman. She told me you need to have 20 good laughs a day to be healthy, so I really try to do that even if it is at my own expense. Laughter is a gift that costs nothing monetarily and can give no only to ourselves, but to others we share it with. When someone is grumpy and everyone around them is laughing, it is very difficult to not "catch it" and laugh, too. What do I laugh at? --I laugh at my favorite cartoons daily. The ones I like best are For Better or Worse, Family Circus, Pickles, Garfield and Zits. My father-in-law called the comics "Required reading". --I laugh at the antics of our black lab and even more at our many cats and kittens. Watching the cats wrestle, jump over each other, stalk a wild turkey or squirrel, swing on the bird feeders, or attack a blade of grass puts me in giggles in a hurry. When I bring out the catnip, it is even funnier! --I laugh at situation comedies. My favorites are the old ones like Beverly Hillbillies, Golden Girls, Mayberry RFD, and Leave it to Beaver. --I laugh at Dumb Crook jokes. The one of the bank robber believing the bank was having a give away and signing up with her name, address and phone number leaves me in stitches. --I laugh at Erma Bombeck. She is my hero. She takes everyday living situations and makes them laugh-out-loud funny. --I laugh at my children. What 2 year old would think of putting peanut butter in my bowling ball to keep me from going bowling? What child would think the meatballs thawing on the counter was leftovers and feed them to the dogs? What can be funnier than watching 4 and 5 year olds learning to play T ball and running the wrong way, playing in the dirt or turning somersaults in the outfield? --I laugh at Jeff Foxworthy's "You Might Be a Redneck" stories and think of some of my own contributions. --I laugh because I am happy to be alive and able to go for a walk, do my own chores, and give to someone in need. --I laugh because my son who suffers from depression is having a good day and sharing a funny story with me or playing a game of Apples to Apples with me. --I laugh because I see a chubby baby. --I laugh because the store clerk has told me to "have a nice night" when I have just bought The Karma Sutra. --I laugh because my best friend is sharing a joyful experience with me. What do you laugh at? What makes you happy? After my mom died and I was going thru a very rough time, I made a joy journal in a small spiral notebook I could carry in my purse. I wrote or pasted in things that made me laugh to help me get thru those dark days. I learned from my mother the same lessons many books are written about that "Laughter is the Best Medicine" Darlene Armstrong Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Darlene_Armstrong
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