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Today's
Meditation:
It's
very easy not to laugh. Laughter tends to be a
reflection of joy or happiness, and many of us grow up to
learn not to trust that joy because something is probably
going to happen to take it away from us. But it truly
is "cheap medicine," and many studies have shown
that laughter actually improves our health; in fact, some
people have recovered in amazing ways from serious illnesses
by focusing on things that make them laugh, like their
favorite comedies on television.
Laughter
makes us brighter; it puts a sparkle in our eyes and
brightens our faces. The sound of laughter can be
infectious, and other people can benefit from our
laughter. I know that I feel great when I'm laughing,
as long as I'm not laughing at someone or at someone's
expense.
Whenever
I'm in stressful periods of my life, I make it a point to
find a comedy or two on TV, usually in syndication so I can
watch them every day, and I set aside an hour each afternoon
to watch them, relax, and laugh. When I was working on
two MA's at the same time, the shows were Tiny Toon
Adventures and Animaniacs. Later on, when I
was incredibly busy with work and other stuff, they were The
Simpsons and Seinfeld. It doesn't matter
what the shows are--as long as they make me laugh, then I'm
getting a very real benefit from them.
I
also tend to read things like Calvin and Hobbes, for
I know that a good laugh can make me feel much better on
many different levels.
If
we sit around and wait for laughter to show up, if we expect
funny things to happen without looking for them, then we're
bound to be disappointed. But if we make time for
things that will make us laugh, we're going to find that the
laughter becomes a very important part of who we are.
The more I laugh, the easier it becomes for me to laugh, and
I'm very thankful that I've made plenty of time to practice.
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Questions to ponder:
1. Do you budget time in your day
for laughter?
2. Would you rather be around people
who laugh easily and sincerely,
or around people who tend not to laugh at all? Which
are you?
3. When do you feel lighter--when
you've been laughing,
or when you've just spent a lot of time being very serious? |
