15 Jul Laughter is Life’s Elixir for a Blue Mood

Laughter is life’s natural elixir for a blue mood.  On some days, however, joy and laughter can seem lost, and you may need a little pick-me-up to even manage a halfhearted smile.

On these days, perhaps you feel stuck in the same old same old with no clear path to change your life circumstance.

Heavy life stuff, for sure.  But, right here, right now, you can LAUGH, and in doing so take a baby step towards a lighter shade of blue.

You may be thinking, NO.  I can’t search for the laughter.  I can barely function to find my car keys.

But that’s the beauty of laughter.  It can strike unaware and sweep you into its feel-good vibration.

So right now, pick up your life’s mirror, close your eyes, and think of one time when you experienced a deep soul-busting belly laugh.  There’s no need to conduct a tedious search.  Just grab the first thing that pops into your head.

OK, now we’re laughing…or at least smiling.

Did you recall something from your childhood?  I did.  I remembered my seventh grade teacher, a larger-than-life nun, Sr. Mary Domitila.  Whenever we were meant to sing a hymn, she would reach into her voluminous black garb and whip out a harmonica as if she was a magician pulling a rabbit from a hat.  She would draw it to her lips.  Hmmmmm.  The note she produced always sounded like a duck.  I could never control my laughter.

“I don’t know why you laugh at her,” Sr. Mary Domitila would say to my fellow students.  “She smiles just like a Cheshire cat.  Just like her sister use to do.”  Sr. Mary Domitila delivered this sermon in a southern drawl peppered with pure disgust.  However, it only made me laugh all the more.

Then, like good Catholic school students, we followed in a futile attempt to harmonize to that habitual duck note.  Our voices sounded far from heavenly.  My laughter, however, soared through my soul like a spiritual release.

You see, that’s the thing about laughter and memory.  It can transport you in time and place, in body and soul.  And it most certainly uplifts and always remembers.  I lived my life.  I was happy once upon a time.  I’ll get there again. 

Pure laughter, too, reminds us that we are never alone.  After all, it takes at least two like-minded souls to enjoy a beautiful belly roar.

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Your moments here matter to me.  Warm wishes and gratitude…always.