A good place to start is by asking ourselves what it takes to make us laugh.

Somehow it’s much easier to be amused by another person’s predicament than our own, isn’t it?  

Think about it. Did you laugh …  

At that meeting where you talked at length about a favorite cause and everybody clapped, but then someone brought up points that destroyed your argument?

Or the time some “mystery” family member left a red sock in the washer and turned your load of whites Pepto-Bismal pink?

Or the Parent-Teacher Night when your child’s teacher said with a knowing smile, “Oh, I’ve heard so much about you.”

Did you find that funny? Probably not.

Neither did I, but I wish I had.

How one woman found the better way

My long-ago friend, Marge, had an easy laugh and an unflappable spirit. Even her irrepressible young son’s antics didn’t faze her. 

I remember the rainy morning I dropped by for coffee and we sat around her kitchen table, as usual. Six-year-old “Jimmy” came running in and grabbed a towel. He soon reappeared carrying a towel-wrapped bundle and headed toward the laundry room.

Marge and I went on sipping and chatting.

It wasn’t long before we heard a lot of thumping and bumping coming from the laundry room. Marge jumped up and went to investigate. I followed, a few steps behind.

She shut off the dryer and rescued Kitty, then sternly ordered Jimmy to his room. Once he was out of earshot, we collapsed into laughter.

After awhile Marge put the still rather dazed Kitty on the floor and poured her a bowl of milk.

After she refilled our coffee mugs I asked Marge her secret to remaining calm no matter what. She thought a minute, then said, “I used to get upset easily, but I learned to ask myself, ‘Will it matter in a hundred years?’ If not I make myself laugh and simply deal with what is.

“I decided a long time ago that life is too short to waste it blowing up over the small stuff.”

“Make myself laugh”

That day I discovered yes, it’s a matter of our temperament, but it’s also–and perhaps most of all–a matter of will. Marge taught herself to find the laughter in everyday frustrations.

My friend role-modeled the kind of woman, the kind of mom, I wanted to become, one who looked for–and found–at least a bit of joy in every situation. Now I understood why my mood improved whenever I spent time with her.

On the drive home I remembered a familiar Bible verse:

A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.   Proverbs 15:13

Laughter is catching, but so is the opposite 

Our attitudes show up most clearly at home. One happy spouse usually means two happy spouses. Parents who laugh a lot have children who laugh a lot.

Conversely, one family member’s lousy mood can spread to the rest of the family faster than any 24-hour stomach bug. In no time at all everybody is cranky and complaining. Few of us would answer the phone or show up at work with that attitude. Instead, we’d breathe deep and dredge up smiles. From somewhere.

I think it’s fair to say that we owe the same to the ones we love. And the people with whom we interact as we go through our days, simply because our attitudes affect them and vice versa.

Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.   Proverbs 12:18

The value of laughter for our health    

Counselors say the ability to laugh at ourselves is a major factor in keeping us emotionally balanced. Medical researchers have documented how laughter also benefits our physical health and raises our endorphin levels, which revs up our immune system.

Since laughter is good for us, why do so many of us routinely choose to wear a frown or a sober expression? (I hate to bring it up, but could we just be lazy? Or too careless to bother with it?)

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.   Proverbs 17:22

Let’s ditch that tired old habit

To change will take some resolve, but we can do it. If we need more incentive, how about this? The experts tell us it takes 37 muscles to frown and only 12 to smile. Doesn’t that mean smiling and laughing will pay off in fewer wrinkles?  

And wouldn’t it brighten our every day if we adopted a more relaxed attitude toward life and our individual situation?

Nobody ever has to teach a baby how to laugh, so it’s obvious our Creator endowed human beings with the capacity to smile and laugh. There’s no escaping the truth of it: You and I possess that same natural potential for finding humor in small things and everyday happenings. Let’s cultivate that gift and let it add sparkle to our days.

I’m in. How about you? 

Learning right along with you,

Lenore