Laugh and the whole world laughs with you, cry and you cry alone.
In school as a kid, my laugh always got me reprimands. My laugh was contagious and made others laugh.
Laughing never worked in quiet places like church and the library. But, I still laughed. I can remember being a little kid about 7 and I had gone to church with my neighbor friend. She went to public school, I went to Catholic school, where we went to church. We sat in the front row (they call them Pews.)
My friend Doreen Sweeney, she saw that they had stamped the words "Leave in Pew" on the cover of the miselet. Doreen loved to make me laugh and saw that this would be a "funny time" to make me laugh. She poked me to get my attention and then pointed to the words on the booklet as she held her fingers to her nose.
I let out such a laugh, it echoed in the church. I couldn't stop laughing. I peed my pants. I left church early.
The next day, I went to school... my catholic school with the nuns and their big long black habits, the principle standing at the door, motioning me to come with her.
Uh oh!
Stupidly, the group of my teachers went to the same Mass and were seated behind me. Boy, did I get in trouble for laughing in church. One good thing, the nuns didn't scare me enough to stop me from laughing.
In college my laugh career continued, my laugh followed along, after all, it is part of who I am. People who were funny sought to be around me, I was great for their humor egos. I laugh. I laugh and laugh. I had lots of fun through out my life because I laugh.
Once I went to a comedy show up in Maine and the comedian gave me his card, he loved my laugh and wanted me to follow him around to get his audience going. I was honored but never went to another of his comedy shows. Actually, I think it was the last one that I had seen!
I did marry a man who could be a comedian, but I'm grateful that he didn't take that path, it's a hard life. Brian is very funny, he makes me laugh a lot.
People are funny. Animals are funny, especially my cat. Sometimes even my mother's Lewy moments are funny, like the morning she woke up thinking that she had died and was in heaven because we have so many bathrooms. There's even humor in terminal illness... we just need to fire up our funny bones and let out some laughter.
Laughter helps my mom rest. I do what I can to make her laugh as she's going to sleep. For some reason she often finds my hypnosis suggestions funny. They make her laugh so hard that sometimes she has to get up and use the toilet. My new profession could very well be the laughing hypnotherapist for LBD.
Through out my life, I have laughed. I honestly believe that I was born laughing. My parents told me often when I was a kid that I was "their sunshine." Susie Sunshine... that would be me.
People have told me that my laugh fills a room. It's my calling card. People who know me and havent' seen me in decades, will know me because of my laugh.
Laughter makes you feel good. Laugh on purpose. Force yourself to laugh. Exercise your laugh muscles. If you are a frowner, go find someone who's funny to hang out with. Read some funny bloggers. There are lots of them out there. I link to some of my favorites on my blog. I'm always looking for people who can find humor in all things, even Lewy Bodies Dementia.
I'm not talking about laughing to make fun, I'm refering to the laughter that is love. The burst of energy that comes from your heart and is vocalized through a thunderous sound, a clash of energy that explodes into the ethers, spreading good cheer.
Today, find something to laugh about. Even the lunacy of hallucinations, look at it from the outside and just laugh. It will make you feel better and once you laugh, the tension will be lifted and your love one will laugh too.
Bring peace and calm to your Lewy visitor and laugh!
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