So a little while ago, okay maybe more like a month ago, I promised someone that I would blog. So I'm sitting at the computer in my Dodgers shirt typing. Ironically, as I write this it is approaching midnight so here are my musings.
I am addicted to puzzles and patterns and I love making connections. The fact that I have been able to see different experiences and lessons from my past come full circle makes me more than a little excited. Nerdy I know, but there you have it. Most recently I have been thinking about the lessons of love, laughter and forgiveness. Since I blogged about love just a little bit ago, I am going to focus this post on laughter.
I firmly believe that laughter is the best medicine. I rarely get sick and I have to believe that a large part of that good health can be attributed to the fact that I laugh ALL the time. I have taken great care to ensure that I have surrounded myself with friends that are both supportive, but also ridiculously funny. I swear if we recorded our normal day to day interactions it would have more viewers than "Charlie bit me" on you tube and would become more popular than any of the reality TV shows of the last decade. I have filled journals with quotes and stories beginning back during our freshman year. We laugh all the time. No joke. It also helps that I am practically a comedian all on my own. It is not uncommon for me to have people in fits of laughter by just being me. When the girls and I all went camping in Moab for Memorial Day weekend, we laughed so hard in the tent that I started crying and in the morning my abs hurt. Pretty typical of our adventures.
The same goes for my family. We once spent and entire evening making up silly rhymes to that song "Down by the bay"; my dad with guitar in hand and my siblings and I dancing around laughing until we cried. Many times during the summer my dad would have to come into the room, or out to the tent in the backyard where we were having a slumber party and tell us to be quite and go to sleep because we were laughing so much it was keeping my parents awake. Heaven forbid you should find yourself seated next to one of my brothers during a funeral or church service. Their witty comments will have you in stitches in no time. My good friend Jessica often tells me that I could have a successful career as a stand up comedian because I say things all the time that are hilarious without even realizing it. I guess it's just in the genes. My few memories of my grandfather Ralph Todd include him calling on the phone pretending to be Mickey Mouse or another cartoon character and telling me jokes. I miss that, and I miss him.
Studies have shown that laughing can add years to your life, or in other words laughing keeps you young. Maybe that's why random high school students on the freeway think that I am 19 instead of 23. I honestly believe that so many "problems" in our lives can be solved by a little patience and some laughter. There would be less road rage, and abuse and lying. Think of all the bitterness and loneliness that could be swept from society if everyone had a friend they could laugh with, especially when things get rough.
Two weeks ago I attended the missionary farewell for a young man by the name of Dustin Phelps. In his talk he shared an experience that he had working at the mental hospital with a guest speaker by the name of Glenn Stuckey. Due to an accident a teen aged Glenn Stucky woke up in the hospital one day to realize that his life would never be the same. He had to re-learn how to do everything from crawling and walking, to eating and talking. Sadly he could remember what his life used to be like, how easy it had been to do the things we take for granted and it made him bitter. It made him ask "why me". One day however Glenn had a revelation of sorts. he said to himself what if every time I'm frustrated or upset, I just smile? That simple thought changed his life. He became happier and more pleasant to be around, and he has since that time gone on to do things that the doctors said he would never do like graduate from high school and then college, and even get married.
Few of us will ever be asked to deal with life challenges like Glenn. If he can smile about life despite his difficulties, why can't I? Can't I stop sweating the small stuff? Shouldn't I extend a little compassion to those around me, forgive them, and myself for our short comings, love them because they are imperfect not in spite of the fact that they are? And finally, can't I spend more time laughing? A woman that I very much admire once said "The only way to get through life is to laugh your way through it. You either have to laugh or cry. I prefer to laugh. Crying gives me a headache."- Marjorie Pay Hinckley. I agree. sign me up for the laugh lines and the sore abs. There a whole lot nicer to wake up to than puffy eyes and a bottle of Advil. I promise.
