My daughter is home from college for the summer. She has the most “interesting” (humph) habit that every drawer, cabinet and door are left wide open after she leaves. I feel my entire kitchen is waving hello and saying, “I don’t think we will be discovered as a site for the newest organizational video on You Tube.”
Yes, this is a bit frustrating after the umpteenth time I’ve told her…”we don’t live in a barn!”. However, I can choose how to respond…do I let it grate on my nerves…or do I see it as one of those quirky traits of my daughter. Lately, I have decided to find humor in the situation. And humor has shifted my perspective.
Laughter is powerful. It binds people together and increases intimacy. Sharing a laugh with others lifts one’s mood. Laughter has been found to strengthen the immune system by releasing infection fighting antibodies. It’s the body’s own natural antibiotic. It boosts energy…who needs caffeine? Laughter diminishes pain according to studies conducted on those who live with chronic pain. Laughter helps to release endorphins, those feel good chemicals that put a skip in your step. Laughter protects the heart by increasing blood flow. Laughter protects against stress and relaxes. Wow, if a pharmaceutical company could package laughter in a pill, it would be a miracle drug. But the beauty of it is, it’s accessible to all of us, free of charge. Do you know that there are even humor therapy sessions where the mechanics of laughter are taught for those who have lost their gift of laughter?
We can choose to not let those little annoyances of life get under our skin…Or we can choose to find humor in them and laugh. So, when I enter my kitchen and begin to sing “Ol’ Ms. Julianne had a farm, E-I-E-I-O” you would understand the method in my madness. Laughter…it’s the best prescription this therapist can offer.
“The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.” E.E. Cummings
