Laugh!!

Come What May and Love It

"I remember when one of our daughters went on a blind date. She was all dressed up and waiting for her date to arrive when the doorbell rang. In walked a man who seemed a little old, but she tried to be polite. She introduced him to me and my wife and the other children; then she put on her coat and went out the door. We watched as she got into the car, but the car didn't move. Eventually our daughter got out of the car and, red faced, ran back into the house. The man that she thought was her blind date had actually come to pick up another of our daughters who had agreed to be a babysitter for him and his wife.
We all had a good laugh over that. In fact, we couldn't stop laughing. Later, when our daughter's real blind date showed up, I couldn't come out to meet him because I was still in the kitchen laughing. Now I realize that our daughter could have felt humiliated and embarrassed. But she laughed with us, and as a result, we still laugh about it today.
The next time you're tempted to groan, you might try to laugh instead. It will extend your life and make the lives of all those around you more enjoyable." --by Jospeh B. Wirthlin

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Laugh at yourself first, before anyone else can. ~ Elsa Maxwell

Laughter is the brush that sweeps away the cobwebs of the heart. ~ Mort Walker

Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face. ~ Victor Hugo

Laughter is the jam on the toast of life. It adds flavor, keeps it from being too dry, and makes it easier to swallow. ~ Diane Johnson

Trouble knocked on the door, but, hearing laughter, hurried away. ~Benjamin Franklin

I have seen what a laugh can do. It can transform almost unbearable tears into something bearable, even hopeful. ~ Bob Hope

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"For many, laughter is a powerful healing elixir, or better yet ... natural Prozac. It enables us to reframe our worries and it has extraordinary capacity to help us reestablish a positive and healthy perspective when we're down. Yet even more amazing is the fact that some of the best jokes are based on true-to-life stories about things that actually happen to ordinary people.
Some of the most famous comedians who ever lived developed their materials through one phenomenal talent. They progressively honed their awareness of what was really happening around them. Through such observations, they were able to surgically extract a light-hearted perspective even in the darkest of times. ...

The most important question we face is "how to turn that frown upside down?"
The process requires 7 simple steps.

1. Give yourself permission to laugh at yourself.
2. Rediscover your sense of humor by easing off your drive for perfection and seriousness while encouraging a light-hearted approach whenever possible.
3. Stimulate your mind to uncover the humor in every situation and give your laughter muscles a daily workout.
4. Allow laughter to replace alcohol, tobacco, drugs and medications when you're stressed and need to cope.
5. Encourage your playful side to emerge even during those challenging times.
6. Accept every funny happenstance as a gift to be shared. When you laugh, especially at yourself, everyone else will join in. Laughter is nothing less than contagious - and healing.
7. Don't take yourself or anyone else too seriously.

There is a fundamental body of medical evidence that shows laughter's positive effects on the immune system. It has also been recently established that future health outcomes are enhanced by "the glass thatÕs half full" as opposed to "the glass that's half empty." The same rationale likely holds true for those who laugh. Someday, I'm sure we'll find what a great philosopher once said, "he who laughs ... lasts"" - Mind Over Matter! " --from: Barry Bittman, MD