Let's Laugh About It!

“Find out where joy resides and give it a voice far beyond
singing. For to miss the joy is to miss all.” Robert Louis
Stevenson

Let’s be honest, life can get far too serious sometimes. We all need to take
a break from the day to day tasks and try to lighten up if possible. Often I
find the need to make a conscious effort to try to see the lighter side of
things or find a humorous angle on a situation.  It is often the very way to
break the tension in a stressful scenario and cope with life’s challenges.  I
have certain friends that I gravitate towards when I need to feel supported and
have a good laugh or a chance to reframe a situation that at the time is getting
me down.  My friend Laurel is a genius in this area. True to form whenever I
chat with her she has a unique way of lifting my spirits. She helps me feel
better by just spending time with her through her humorous, yet very compassionate
manner. Laurel and I worked together on many school musicals she wrote that kept the audience in stiches with her witty one-liners and funny take on things. I will never look at talking trees the same as these characters provided us with lots of funny dialogue and giggles. Special times and memories I will always cherish. I am very blessed to have her and people like her in my life.

I also enjoy watching funny movies and  TV shows or reading witty Facebook
posts to share some good laughs with the family. The minions from the Despicable
Me movies are so funny. I have watched the movies over and over and still laugh out
loud at their crazy antics. ("It was your cousin's idea."  "WHAAAT???" ) A TV show favourite of mine is The Middle. It is a hilarious show about the disorganized, dysfunctional Heck family who can’t seem to get their act together in any aspect of their lives no matter how hard they try. Although their family issues are somewhat exaggerated, their trials and tribulations are
funny because for the most part we have all been there! We also know in spite of
their shortcomings they love each other deeply and that they will work it out in
their own quirky way in the end! On Facebook I read a post this week that said
“I smile because you are my sister. I laugh because there is nothing you can do
about it!” I’m sure my sister Judy would enjoy this quote! These various outlets 
provide a light hearted distraction for me which is very helpful some days!

When my son Tyler was younger he had a famous saying that was simply “Let’s
laugh about it!” The cool thing about it though, was he was only three
years old when he coined this phrase. He had a great ability to notice when
there was tension in the house or a sad atmosphere and he would say in his
sweet, little voice “Mom, Dad, let’s laugh about it!” It was his unique way even
at a very young age to basically say let’s lighten up a bit and see this
situation differently. Wise words from such a young boy. After he would say
that, he would throw his head back and break out in spontaneous giggles which in
itself was enough to break the tension. How could you not smile at that?! Babies
are very funny little characters too. They can find the same scenario funny over
and over again. I remember playing peek a boo again and again with Shannon when
she was a baby.  Every time she would wait in eager anticipation, shudder from
the “surprise,“ and giggle so hard like she was not expecting this every time I
uttered the magic words! Pretty easy to entertain! We could have carried on this
show all night!

In science class one year we were discussing our unit on solids, liquids and
gasses and yes you can probably imagine where I am going with this! As we were
discussing gasses one student much to his horror accidentally contributed to our
discussion in let’s just say a most embarrassing way. All the students kind of
held their breath and looked at me for direction not knowing what to do next. I
quickly said “Thank you for that true life example of what we are talking about
today! By the way don’t worry about it! It happens to all of us!” Next we all
broke out into hilarious laughter including the once mortified little boy as I
could tell he could now relax about this unfortunate occurrence.  I also
remember discussing the same topic with another little boy.  When asked to name
one liquid you should never drink, after some very thoughtful consideration he
said, “hot lava.” The boy beside him and I just lost it as the answer was so
unexpected. The boy who said it was fine with our giggles, yet extremely puzzled
as he proceeded to tell us why it was an unacceptable beverage in so many
various ways! Too funny and another example of why I love my job. Working with
kids all day is never a dull moment and a good sense of humour is essential
that’s for sure!

Some situations are not funny at all and I am certainly not suggesting that
we make light of heartache and sorry. That is a whole other story that I
addressed in my last blog. What I am speaking of are the little things that can
happen throughout our day that can accumulate into stressful scenarios if we let them.
Sometimes we need to just stop, take a deep breath and refocus. What may seem a
bad day, could be turned around if we are able to laugh a bit more! We need to
change our tone and try to find our giggly voices. We are all in this together
and a great shared laugh is a wonderful way to bond with those around us if we
are open to it. So whenever possible look for an opportunity to bring humour and
laughter into your life whether it is through people, books, funny stories,
music or positive activities. This is a needed and necessary part of your life
and you will be so very glad you did! Let’s face it, if a three year old can
“get it,” what’s our excuse?

Proverbs 17: 22 A merry heart doeth good like a medicine!

Little Lesson Learned: Take time to laugh at life and situations whenever
possible. A good belly laugh can work wonders for an all too serious and
stressful situation!

Dana
Copyright: littlelessonslearnedbydana2014