You know you've lost your sense of humor when the little things in life don't make you chuckle. Someone once told me that they though people, in general, have become so cynical about life or are so focused on work that they don't have time to laugh anymore. That could be true for a lot of people. Or maybe they are like me . . . overwhelmed with the day to day stuff that they don't sit long enough to even notice funny things.
If you've ever watched a little kid laugh . . . it sure doesn't take much. Everything is funny, it seems. Just watching them laugh, makes you laugh. It's sweet to see that they are so untouched by life around them.
As we get beaten up by the world, experience sad or difficult times, it's easy to end up with tunnel vision. I've heard comments like, "Well, wait until YOU go through that. You won't see life the same." or "I used to be like that, but everyone is always looking out for themselves. I'm tired of getting screwed."
It's true, I think, that people have gotten pretty discouraged with life and the condition of the world. If you watch movies or tv shows, many have stepped beyond the boundaries of appropriate. LOTS contain incredible amounts of violence, cynicism, sex, and lewd topics and langauge. The sad thing is, many don't even notice anymore. Even sadder - there is a generation growing up that doesn't even realize that what they are watching is 'crossing the line' because . . . they don't know where the line was supposed to be!
The innocence of children goes by the wayside sooner than is necessary - we as parents have some responsibility in that. A month or so back, I sat behind a little boy (probably only gr. 4) in the latest James Bond movie. The parents didn't even notice that the child was squirming in his seat through some of the scenes. At one point, he just got up and left the theatre. The parents looked at each other, smirked a bit, and went on to watch their movie! Holy Cow! 
I, for one, get so discouraged when I see how much the world has changed and how potentially good avenues such as the Media, Facebook, Texting, and the Internet have had such a negative impact on our families and social circles. I've seen kids that I know, get lured into some crass and incredibly inappropriate behaviours. Some might say it's a "stage" they are going through but I'm not so sure. Everything we do, impacts us - long term or short term. Adults aren't immune to that, either.
So - for someone who is sensitive to all that negativity "out there" - how does one deal with that? Well - for one - I try not to add to it. I have often been 'accused' of being Miss Goody Two-Shoes. OK - I will admit . . . I like happy endings, I like when the underdog wins, I like it when the 'bad guy' sees the light and becomes the 'good guy', and I like when the sun shines, people support good causes, and when my family WANT to do things together. But, what's wrong with all that? I think it's sad, when you try to make a difference and those around you think it's pathetic. But, in spite of those that ridicule me . . . I choose to support their children, encourage their children, and find ways to make my day and those around me, a nicer and more positive place to be. So, sue me.
There is always a price to be paid when you get overwhelmed with things that suck in life. You tend to lose your sense of humour and laughter. A few years ago, one of my sons said to me, "I remember when you used to laugh." Ouch. An innocent, but insightful comment. But, it's easy to get so focused on life and what's going on around you that you forget to take time to work on that. Working on having fun laughing - how sad is that? For some of us, it does end up becoming work because it's just not something we do enough of.
"Always laugh when you can, it is cheap medicine.”
― George Gordon Byron
― George Gordon Byron
- Lowers blood pressure
- Increases memory and learning; in a study at Johns Hopkins University Medical School, humor during instruction led to increased test scores
- Defends against respiratory infections–even reducing the frequency of colds–by immunoglobulon in saliva.
- Improves alertness, creativity, and memory
- Reduces certain stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline
- Increases the response of tumor- and disease-killing cells such as Gamma-interferon and T-cells. (I've heard of many studies that document that those fighting serious diseases that laugh and have a positive outlook fare much better than those that don't.)
- laughter helps the pituitary gland release its own pain-suppressing opiates
In all honesty, the past few years have been so draining that it's been so easy to just "forget" about laughing. Sometimes, we need to make some drastic (or not so drastic) changes in our lives to accommodate "joy". With the arrival of this new year, it's been timely to think about change. Already, things have changed for me. But, more importantly, I am aware that I needed to make some changes. That's always the first step. We can't change everything (or maybe even lots of things) but we can be the one to change some things about ourselves.
Food for Thought:
Being around people who don't or won't laugh . . . really isn't very uplifting. Think about it - moths are attracted to bright lights - they aren't attracted to the dark and depressing. People are no different.
VS 
"There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor."
See you next week!
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