Have a Good Laugh: The Power of Humor

Chelsey Thomas put on her brand-new red tennis shoes to celebrate her eighth birthday.

She also wore her brand-new smile.

The little girl from California was born without the nerve that allows the facial muscles to form a smile, a condition that currently affects some 1,000 people in the United States.

Today, thanks to two operations, Chelsey can smile. And, according to her mother, the smile "looks great..I ask her quite often to smile, just to see it."

Can you imagine going through an whole day without smiling or laughing? Everybody needs something to smile or laugh about. Perhaps it's the comment of a friend or seeing a child at play. Or knowing that today we celebrate again God's great gift of life.

Life Is Good

The creation story in the Bible reminds us that God was pleased with His handiwork and "saw that it was good" (Genesis 1:10).

Life is genuinely good. Hard times, pain and misfortune are real. But you can be happy.

"Life is too short to be any other way," explains Evelyn Mazurek, 72, semi-retired secretary in Royal Oak, Michigan. "My kids seem to think I'm weird because I'm always in a good frame of mind and wake up singing, but it doesn't make sense to go around mopey and mad for very long."

Martha Washington, lived through the American Revolution, was twice widowed and buried all four of her children. Yet she understood that "The greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions and not on our circumstances."

Jesus, too, knew happiness. He enjoyed the companionship of friends and children. He performed His first miracle for a wedding party. Jesus' presence gave joy to others.

You imitate Him when you find joy in others and bring good cheer wherever you go. After all, God made us and loves us - no matter what. Good reason to smile!

A Healing Power

The facts are in. Studies show that laughter increases the immune, cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive and muscular systems. It reduces pain and stress, increases alertness, energy and your sense of well-being. Laughter releases chemicals in the brain and makes muscles contract and relax.

Cheerful people are less depressed, bounce back faster from sad events, have higher achievement in school and at work, tend to have better health - and may even live longer.

Allen Klein, author of The Healing Power of Humor, says that patients with chronic pain often feel that they are too uncomfortable to participate in enjoyable activities. When persuaded to do so, he says, they find that having fun diminishes their perception of pain.

There are even professional medical publications dedicated to humor, such as, The Journal of Nursing Jocularity and Humor & Health Journal. Using humor helps increase our sense of control over events and diminishes the feeling of powerlessness found in most negative situations.

A young woman suffering from the after-effects of a serious auto accident joked about her circumstances - even the many painful and often humiliating medical tests and procedures she had to endure. "It helps me to get through it," she said. "And I think that it helps those around me. They are really helping me as I try to make peace with what's happened."

All the Way Back

"We were a violent, poor, alcoholic family," says Janet Dahlem. "My dad never worked and my mother worked 54 hours a week in the factories. She went without food so my sister and I could eat."

She grew up fast and furious, missing many of the joys of childhood. Now a professor in holistic therapy at a Minnesota college, Janet Dahlem also calls herself a "humor educator." "I began my own recovery by practicing intentional use of laughter," she explains. "I forced myself to laugh every day - even if it didn't feel good. Part of recovery's journey is about loving yourself and (practicing) actions that are self-affirming. It doesn't erase the pain, but it helps put things in perspective."

Laughter can help us deal with tragedies and disappointments.

Comedian Steve Allen observed: "My natural way of approaching stress in my own life was to use humor…Even at some rather dark and depressing moments, jokes would occur to me and I'd find myself laughing at them. I became convinced that each of us has that gift. Everyone taps the well of their laughter and playfulness throughout life."

Laughter can be a powerful antidote to stress. Instead of letting yourself "be grim and bear it" try to "just grin and share it."

Light that Spark

There is a strong connection between "HaHa" and "Aha." So believes Ken Blanchard, author of One Minute Manager. "Humor and laughter in organizations can increase the amount of feedback you can get, the honesty and the capacity for people to tell you good things," Blanchard notes. "Humor opens the lines of communication."

Rose Cellino-Reynolds attended a very serious sales conference. Everyone was wearing a beeper, except for Rose. The next day she returned to the conference - wearing her garage door opener.

Laughter can spark creativity, especially in the workplace. Many companies inject humor into memos and meetings, for example. But stay sensitive to people's feelings. Humor should be a tool, never a weapon. Laugh with others - not at them.

Every Day: Sunny Side Up!

After a snowstorm, a couple dug out their car and drove to a nearby grocery store. On their way home, they passed a woman clearing snow from her driveway, and smiled at her. Later, the woman went to the couples' home - to thank them. "Not many people smile anymore," she told them, "It's nice to see a friendly face."

Our day-to-day life should be filled with a positive outlook - a happy heart. As the Jewish Talmud holds: "We will be held accountable for neglecting to enjoy the legitimate pleasures the Lord sends us."

Having a happy heart doesn't mean doing stand-up comedy. It does mean keeping an upbeat attitude. Sharing the joy of God's gift of love with others makes for better "everydays" all around.

Tricia White is a 29-year-old from Tennessee whom friends have said "looks like she ate sunshine for breakfast." Tricia believes her mother's "look-on-the-bright- side" personality rubbed off on her. She says. "I just love life, I guess!"

Others have to put a little more effort into staying cheerful. Here are some ways to add laughter and smiles to your daily "to do" list:

• Collect cartoons or tapes of funny anecdotes, jokes or puns that appeal to you.
• Begin and end each day by reading from a book of cheerful reflections. Or write down your own ideas. As a sixth grader, Barbara Ann Kipfer started keeping a list. Now 20 years later it's a book called 14,000 Things to Be Happy About.
• When you hear something funny, share it. This will give you the added good feeling of brightening someone else's day.
• Keep it clean. Avoid ethnic or racial slurs, off-color material and anything that makes fun of anyone or might hurt another's feelings.
• Associate with upbeat people. Practice looking for the bright side of every situation. Avoid the negative: don't dwell on your own problems - or criticize others for their "flaws."

• Be realistic. Avoid "blind optimism." A happy outlook doesn't mean you must never cry or get angry. But do all you can to tip the balance of your life in favor of joy.

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven... time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance.

Ecclesiastes 3:1,4

Seven Ways To Brighten Today...

• Pick up the telephone and renew an old friendship.
• Do something nice and unexpected for someone who's down.
• Smile at everyone you see.
• Have lunch with a friend, a child or a grandchild.
• Send a thank you note to someone who has enriched your life.
• Count your blessings.
• Thank God - to make Him smile!

God, thank You for giving me another day.

Let me face my troubles today - the big and the small - with a happy heart filled with Your unending love.

Let me appreciate the moments of joy You send me this day. Let me see the cares of others as an opportunity to bring Your great compassion to those who most need it.

And God, I know that You see and know all things - all of the world's loveliness, and all of its harshness, too.

So on this day that You have given me, I ask that I may bring Your joy with me as I share myself with others.

And I pray that You will be warmed by the happiness of Your children.

Finally, God, let me never forget that in all things, in gladness or sorrow,

You who are all love and joy and hope are always by my side.

Amen.