// the gift of laughter //

When we are down and out, laughter is about the most painful noise to our ears.  It becomes almost a mockery - as if everyone is laughing at us!  Here I am over here trying to retreat to an area to sulk and mope in my pain and can hear this faint giggling in the background!  How can people be so relaxed?  Do they have no respect for all of us over here suffering?

Sounds silly doesn't it.  It wasn't until I had a child that I realized how sad it is to deprive yourself of laughter.  It only took my daughter being upset about something one time and me trying to make her laugh, and watching how angry it made her!  It has really nothing to do with not laughing, and everything to do with the self-pity and anger.  I was working to cheer her up and could see her denying herself the simplest of pleasures - laughter!

We talked about it and I told her that she really had to stop taking herself so seriously.  Self-pity and ego-feeding are not virtues that anyone respects.  It is time to lighten up!  When we learn to laugh at ourselves, we are admitting that there are some things that we cannot control, but it won't take away from our happiness.  No person, thing, event, or circumstance can steal our joy.

Today, I invite you to practice laughing even when it hurts.  Stop taking yourself so seriously.  Stop punishing those around you that want to be happy.  Enjoy this life.

xoxo

"For the despondent, every day brings trouble; but for the happy heart, life is a continual feast."

Proverbs 15:15