The sky is already cloaked in darkness as I make a mad dash to my car, while trying to jump puddles with an oversized 62” arc umbrella in hand. As I adjust my windshield wipers to compensate for the deluge of raindrops poised to keep me company on my ride home, I also shuffle my downloaded songs.
Neil Sedaka, and his 70’s hit song, “Laughter in the Rain” has made its way to the top of my playlist this particular Friday evening. Not only is this profoundly appropriate, but this song title reminds me of just how infrequently I have laughed in a year filled with one tumultuous storm after another.
I miss those good old-fashioned belly laughs that dominated the silliest of circumstances with my family and friends. Not to mention that a good laugh is known to exercise the muscles, get the blood flowing, decrease blood pressure and stress hormones and even boost the immune system. It has actually been studied that children may laugh as much as 400 times a day, but as adults, 15 times a day is a more accurate number. I can tell you, without hesitation, that my personal numbers don’t even closely resemble the current statistics.
I know that Barney was responsible for boosting my level of daily happiness. He encouraged me to laugh because he loved to play and have fun and often did things that were amusing without even realizing it.
So how am I able to regain this uncensored, valuable piece of joy again? How can I deal with everyday problems and vicissitudes of life when I know that laughter is needed and is a proven natural weapon to help without any side effects? I devise a plan to help me overcome this hurdle immediately. I will first start with reminding myself of funny moments of the past or perhaps watch a hilarious comedy or a blooper reel on YouTube. I may even attempt to laugh alone when there is no good reason to try to bring about positive results.
As my destination looms closer, I adjust my rear view mirror. I ever so gently bring my hand up to the right side of my cheek. I smile and am happy to report, that my dimple has not disappeared. This little indentation of flesh may have been on a temporary hiatus, but tomorrow, the woman telling this story will demonstrate a more lighthearted perspective and try to laugh a little more each and every single day.