I don't know about you, but doesn't it feel good to smile, grin, giggle, and laugh. Yea, you bet ... it feels good, to feel good. Now, before you give me one of those "no-duh, like, that's not an epiphany" rebuttals, let's just let this one play out for a bit, okay (humor me, if you will ;)
While I realize most humans love a good laugh, and appreciate the upside of positive repartee - the fact of the matter is we take these gifts for granted. We do; it's true; and we know it.
And that's the problem, and why we need to take silliness seriously, and not just in a goofy hat/fake mustache/funny glasses wearing kinda way; although that'll work. For proof, check-out the August issue of Ode magazine. (If you don't subscribe to this wonderful, genuinely exceptional magazine - you must - you simply must, must, must!) In it, they share some incredible stories (all real, and all with factual information) of how laughter and happiness heals, unifies, empowers, inspires, motivates, educates, cleanses, and purifies the body, mind, heart and soul.
It's true. The empirical data is there; the facts are real; there is no debate: Laughter is good medicine. And as important, its critical for our social evolution. Example: Two Neanderthals walk into a bar, order drinks, sit down, and listen to the chattering, laughing crowd. Suddenly, one turns to the other and whispers. "Try to stay cool, but this is one of those Homo Sapiens joints." For those keeping score at home, the punch line stems around how would a Neanderthal know that he was in a Homo Sapiens joint? Well, because of the laughter, and good cheer.
So, unless you're a Neanderthal (sadly, we still have 'em) - you'll appreciate and embrace that to enlighten up, we need to lighten up. And for all of you negative pundits who may not agree with the importance of smiles, laughter and good cheer - I'll let this picture say it for me (so there!)
Susan Sparkes - an acclaimed author, comedian, and pastor of the Madison Avenue Baptist Church (her sermons are often humorous, like "Lord Grant me Patience, and Make it Snappy" ) - says that, "Laughter is the GPS system of the soul. Humor offers a revolutionary yet simple spiritual paradigm. If you can laugh at yourself, you can forgive yourself. And if you can forgive yourself, you can forgive others. Laughter heals and grounds us in a place of hope. It fosters intimacy and honesty in our relationships with each other, and with God. And isn't that what grace is all about?"
Indeed.
Smiles, Giggles, Laughter, and Happiness Are Good!
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