Laughing and Crying

The opposite of laughing isn’t crying – it’s depression – when all emotions are blocked.  Both laughing and crying are cathartic releases.  Both are healthy.  Emotions are flowing. 

 (The bottom line.)  

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Precious Laughter

 “What is this precious laughter budding in our hearts?  It is the glorious sound of the soul waking up.”  Hafiz

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Robin Williams

 

A treasured comic genius whom the world will greatly miss.

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Smile Meditation

From Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

...from the Balinese Medicine Man:  “He tells me there are many ways to God but most are too complicated for Westerners, so he will teach me an easy meditation.  Which goes, essentially, like this:  sit in silence and smile.  I love it.  He’s laughing even as he’s teaching it to me.  Sit and smile.  Perfect.”

“You study Yoga in India, Liss?” He asks.

“Yes, Ketut.”

“You can do Yoga”, he says, “but Yoga too hard”.  Here he contorts himself in a cramped lotus position and squinches up his face in a comical and constipated-looking effort.  Then he breaks free and laughs, asking, “Why they always look so serious in Yoga?  You make serious face like this, you scare away good energy.  To meditate, only you must smile.  Smile with face, smile with mind, and good energy will come to you and clean away dirty energy.  Even smile in your liver.  Practice tonight…  Not to hurry, not to try too hard.  Too serious, make you sick.  You can call in the good energy with a smile….”

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Happy Video!

 

http://theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=9394&browse-by=News&level=Community-News

Clown Around More

"Children expend considerable energy in 'clowning around'. They refuse to appreciate the gravity of our monumental concerns, while we forget that if we were to become more like children, our concerns might not be so monumental." 

   Conrad Hyers

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Laughing Babies!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-UF-h1K4rM

Remember to Laugh Today

Remember to laugh today - no matter what!

Humor on the side

Try getting angry at someone in a Boston accent. 

 It just doesn't work as the other person can't help but smirk and smile and eventually we're all laughing.  
When I get agitated or excited or tired my accent slips through, unnoticed by my usual filters that have been built up over many years, in an effort to speak "correctly".  But the slip-up can be useful humor relief when it's needed the most - in times of stress.

Remember to laugh when you get over stressed.  It's better for your body, for your challenges, for your healing.

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Women in LY

“Women Power in Laughter Clubs!!!  On the occasion of Women's Day, I would like to express my thanks and gratitude to all the women of the world who contribute to love laughter and peace in this world.”   Dr Kataria

The Hub

Havin' a blast bringing laughter to The Hub at Bayview Retirement!

Sid Caesar

Rest in Peace Sid Caesar

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Happy Valentine's Day

“Smiling is the 2nd best thing you can do with your lips.” Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

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FInd Humor Everywhere

I woke up this morning – Valentine’s Day – still dark outside viewing a downtown office building draped over the top with a large strip of pink.  It started my day laughing.

As I’m doing my morning exercises, something triggers the memory of a friend recently coming to visit on his birthday, piece of cake in hand, plopping himself down at my kitchen table, requesting a candle and a match, plopping them into his celebratory slice of cake and demanding that I sing “Happy Birthday” to him.  Ha-ha-ha!!!!!!  Too funny!  It’s his birthday ritual not to be denied.

Find humor in life.  It’s everywhere if you’re open to it.

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Litany of Laughter Stories

I've been performing my morning laughter ritual slightly differently lately.  Instead of going through the laughter exercises, I conjure up some very funny stories from my life:

·      * Adele, the 80-something ex-nun in our writing class, who loved to shock, using the f-word, causing Bill, the sweet 80-something ex-newspaper reporter, to gasp slightly and question his ears with a “what?” causing the ex-nun to gleefully repeat her f-word….well you had to be there to get how hysterical this repartee was.

·      *My friend’s 5 year old daughter spontaneously, and for no clear reason, shouting  “Barbie Win!!!”  with fist pumped in the air for emphasis.

*  * Or Rex doing his James Brown imitation!!!

Retrieving memories, that kept me howling then, are keeping me howling now.

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Bank Laughter

Her joy-filled laughter crackles through the stale air of the credit union.  Bringing the place to life.  Shining as she does.  

My bank teller today is one bright spirit and she makes the whole place shine with the light of her laughter. I tell her she has the best laugh.  She tells me, what unfortunately I've heard too many times before, "Oh but it's gotten me into trouble".   Why is laughter considered so unprofessional?  I tell her, "Don't ever let anyone stifle your laughter - it's beautiful".

More bank tellers need to laugh.  It would make the world that much brighter.

I leave with a huge smile and a brighter spirit.

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Dolphins

Dolphins are always smiling : )

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Laughter Helps My Memory

I noticed not long ago that I was having trouble remembering things – details.  Signs of aging?  I refused to accept it. 

I thought for a moment, “What can I do to wake up my brain?”  The answer came immediately as I lecture about it all the time – laughter.  Laughter wakes up the brain – by bringing more oxygen to it. 

Studies show that Alzheimer’s patients have low levels of oxygen in their brains.  This is completely congruent with our findings about laughter.  We bring more oxygen to our brains when we laugh, making our brains more alert, more clear and higher functioning.

Confession:  I had been experimenting with simply smiling in the morning in place of my morning laughter ritual (2 minutes of hearty laughter every morning in the mirror).  Smiling is so peaceful I wanted to experience that for awhile as the beginning to my day.  But after I reinstated my morning laughter ritual, the result was that my memory improved again. 

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Pope in a Clown Nose

The “People’s Pope”, Time Magazine’s Person of the Year, and a pope not afraid to have a little fun.  How cool is that!