Mary Ann
The world seems grim right now! Everywhere you look there doesn’t seem to be much joy. So, what do we do about that? I think we need to bring more humor and laughter back into our lives. You know the saying – Laughter is the Best Medicine? Maybe the world needs a big dose of it now, but where do we begin?
We could take a class in laughter. There you try different kinds laughing such the queen wave while you walk around laughing or the Hawaiian laugh as you do the hula while you laugh. There are endless possibilities of different kinds of laughter. I took such a class, and you can’t help but laugh when everyone around is doing the hula and laughing. The purpose is nonsense, and that nonsense makes you laugh. However, laughter helps lower stress, alter moods, and helps the heart.
There is laughing yoga which uses breathing exercises and laughing with no poses and laughter therapy which involves watching funny movies (there is a reason for Dumb and Dumber) or shows or reading humorous books. When I need a smile or a chuckle, I think of certain TV shows that gave me a good belly laugh. They were so funny that I have never forgotten them.
The first of my Comedy Collection was an episode of the Ellen DeGeneres’s comedy sitcom, Ellen – a comedy show way before The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Ellen was enthralled by Martha Stewart. She loved everything Martha Stewart, so she decide to create a Thanksgiving dinner, a perfect meal that Martha would admire. Of course, nothing went as planned. Her oven broke so she tired cooking the turkey in the dryer. You could see the poor bird flipping around through the glass door. The whole episode continued with disaster after disaster. Well, at the end, the guests came and among them was Martha Stewart herself – a happy ending with Ellen meeting her entertainment hero.
The second in the Comedy Collection was from Sex and the City. Main character, Carrie, loved and I mean loved fashion. Remember all the zany outfits? Carrie is asked to model some clothes for New York City’s Fashion Week. Her wildest dreams had come true. So down the catwalk she struts trying hard to do the model walk, and at the end of the ramp, she falls for all of NYC fashionistas to see. I literally fell off the couch laughing. I still giggle when I think of the show.
An episode of Friends was the third in my Comedy Collection. Ross and Rachel accidently locked their baby in their apartment and the window was slightly opened in the nursery. The two of them are in the hall imagining all the terrible things that could happen to the baby. Now remember that the infant baby is in a crib and the window is only open a few inches. However, they are sure the baby is going to fall out of the window and with each new imaginary scenario, they would freak out even more. By the end they were sure a hawk would fly in the window and steal away the baby. Remember this is New York City. They finally get in, and the baby had napped away the hour they were panicking. As parents, we have all been in similar situations imagining horrors happening to our sleeping babies or teenagers.
If I need to lift my spirits, I just think of those shows, and I find myself laughing. I will end with a story of the funniest experience of my life. It always makes me laugh. When I lived in SC, I lived 10 minutes from a movie theater. I could decide at the last moment to go to see a film. On one Sunday afternoon, I decided to go see a movie. I was going to just make the show, but I had to get popcorn and a drink. I hurried in getting my ticket then my snacks. The film was in the last theater in the complex. I walked up to the entrance. There was a door to left and one to the right. I decided to go in the one on the right. I entered and it was completely dark. Had I walked into another world or maybe Narnia? I started to reach out in the darkness and found the wall. I tapped down the wall until I felt a broom handle. OMG, I was in the broom closet. I started laughing and continued tapping in search of the door. Once I found the door handle and was ready to turn it, the door opened. There stood a man with his popcorn and soda preparing to enter the theater. He was surprised to see me as I was surprised to see him, and then I said, “It is the broom closet.” At that point, we were both hysterically laughing with popcorn flying everywhere. We gained our composure after some repeated tries and eventually entered the other door. He joined his date, and I found a seat still trying to stop laughing. I often thought that this would have been a great way to meet your future husband, a great romcom beginning!
As I have written this blog, I have been laughing at my go-to Comedy Collection. I hope this will inspire you to start your own collection. I know you have some shows, movies, or books that make you grin. You are already on your way! Our laughter can help the world find some joy and maybe not be so dark.
Silver Sage Sisters 