When life gets busy, and hectic, and difficult and often all at the same time we can get serious. We become rigid about life. We become insulated. Our edges get rougher and sharper. It’s our own protective mechanism. Porcupines get prickly and, frankly, so do we.

It’s why we melt down at the grocery this time of year when the person in front of us in line is taking forever, or needs a price check. It’s why we can’t possibly wait at this red light any longer so we consider just going through it. It’s why wrapping, or buying, or shopping for one more gift is almost more than we can bear. We have reached our limit.

And we forget to laugh.

Laughter is straight up good medicine. Even the Bible says so.

But we forget. I am not sure why this is but we do.
We lose our minds for a minute or a month and with it goes our sense of humor.

Yesterday, I had a practitioner tell me that my laugh, on a grading scale, was a C, maybe a B-.

I was surprised but then I realized that he was probably being generous. I am out of practice. Lately I have forgotten to laugh. Life has gotten serious or at least I have been taking it very seriously. My instructions were to laugh, drink some Italian wine, and stop analyzing.

I knew it was good advice because a) I was looking forward to it b) My husband immediately agreed that I should do all of the above.

You know what, it helped. I felt better. Laughing makes life lighter and easier to carry.

During the next several weeks of commitments, obligations and the never-ending to-do list remember to laugh. Remember to give yourself a break and know that it doesn’t really matter if your kids’ stockings have lip gloss or travel-size toothpaste tubes in them, life will go on. We’ll all get through it and the thing that is likely making us a little bit nuts now, we won’t even remember this time next year.

Go on, have a good belly laugh and, if you are so inclined, a glass of Italian wine. It can’t hurt.

Sunshine & Sarcasm,

Lowi & G