You have to Laugh Everyday
You have to find a way to laugh a little each day despite everything, or your heart will simply run out of the joy that makes it go. From The Translator by Daoud Hari
Laugh Despite Everything
A friend and I were talking about the terrible things that happen to people. She said, “I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but hearing about other’s hard times makes me feel better. It’s not that I’m glad they’re suffering, it just helps me put my life into perspective.” She’s one of the most honest people I know. I would bet many people feel that way when they are having a hard time but I don’t know how many would admit it.
It’s easy to forget how graceful our life is even in the midst of our problems. I’ve just finished reading a number of phenomenal memoir/autobiographical stories of the lives of a Muslim woman born in Samalia – Infidel, by Aayan Hari Ali, a young African boy born in Darfu —The Translator by Daoud Hari, anda young African American boy born in 1908 in the Jim Crowe South — Black Boy by Richard Wright. If you every want to read about the rise from adversity, any one of these books will take you on that journey.
In each book, the writer, following their own call and curiosity for truth, like a phoenix, rose from the ashes.
Many of us are feeling dismayed by the mounting troubles around the world. We’re no longer just looking at it in the news or on the TV, we’re feeling it in our own pockets. The bad news is it looks like it might get worse before it gets better. The good news is we have to get more creative with the resources we have.
There have been times in my life when I have been very flush and then other times when I’ve had to learn what a budget is. When I look at the overall experience of both, I find that yes, in the years I was flush, there was a sense of freedom at not having to think about cash flow and curtail my travel or consumer habits. But the times that I did, taught me things I would never have learned the tide hadn’t turned.
Having less income and resources taught me how to take advantage of frequent flyer miles, I learned which airlines went where I wanted to go and obtained their credit cards. Often they give 15-25, 000 miles for opening account. I went deeper into my wardrobe and became much more creative at finding new combinations I never would have discovered if I could easily buy something new. I was introduced to “resale shops.” It’s amazing what people get rid of. I’ve often found items with the original sales ticket still hanging from an inside seam.
I’ve also learned to appreciate more, the foods that grow locally. We’re so fortunate in Maui to have so many Farmer’s markets. I’ve joined in with neighbors and have started a community garden. I think twice before spending. I don’t have to eliminate all the extra, but in giving my spending more thought, I see what really matters to me.
I just recently saw an amazing film at a Maui Sustainability potluck. It was entitled, The Power of Community – How Cuba Survived Peak Oil. It is a very inspiring account of how Cubans came together when their economy all but collapsed. They came face to face with the need for creative solutions to hunger which involved sharing of all resourses and changing their thinking. Today they use 80% less fuel than they did before their crisis, are healthier because of a change in eating habits – growing community gardens in every square inch possible, becoming more physically active – as the end to fuel perpetuated their need to ride bicycles, and I would say psychologically healthier as they came together in community in support of one another. It is amazing what the human spirit is capable of.
Seeing and reading about people that rise from adversity let’s us know that “we can.” The only thing that ever stops us is our thinking “we can’t.” When we are willing to dig deep into our consciousness and use our will to propel us, our creativity is boundless.
There is an entire generation that is in the psychology of “we can.” If you have a chance, go to the website www.gen-we.org, where you’ll hear from a generation that is calling themselves the “we” generation.
The concept of Laughter Yoga is based on a scientific fact that the body cannot differentiate between fake and real laughter. One gets the same physiological and psychological benefits. In fact, laughter therapy is developing fast and new research is looking into the ways that laughter happens, how it affects hormones, how it stimulates the brain and how it makes us all healthier and happier.
Last Updated: Friday, 22 August, 2003, 23:00 GMT 00:00 UK
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NHS stories: The laughter tonic
Listening to the laughter record
As part of a series of articles BBC NewsOnline reporter Jane Elliott looks behind the scenes of the NHS.
This week we focus on how a laughter tonic is helping patients, staff and visitors cope.
A hospital is probably the last place any one would expect to see the brightly coloured laughing booth, which looks as if it wouldn’t be out of place in some seaside town.
But as artist Nicola Green explains laughter is a very important part of well-being.
And she said her laughter booth had been a popular installation at the Royal Brompton Hospital, where staff, patients and relatives were able to get a little light relief from the misery of ill-health.
“On the surface you think that laughing is the last thing you want to do as a doctor, or as someone visiting the hospital or even a patient.
Sign
“But it is one of the most important things.
“Laughing is a sign of coping and even if someone is dying, laughter is a sign of coping. Here there are quite a lot of families who live here with their kids.
“The parents stay here and it is really difficult for them.”
Laughter therapy is developing fast
Professor Duncan Geddes, consultant in respiratory medicine at Royal Brompton Hospital
Professor Duncan Geddes, consultant in respiratory medicine at Royal Brompton Hospital, agreed laughter is an important medicine.
“Laughter is an expression of happiness and happiness is good for all of us. It stimulates the body’s defences, reduces pain and helps recovery from illness.
“Laughter therapy is developing fast and new research is looking into the ways that laughter happens, how it affects hormones, how it stimulates the brain and how it makes us all healthier and happier.’
