Laughter Heals The Soul; A Vote For Comic Relief

The Industrial Revolution of Human Productivity

We’ve become a society that resembles a humanized version of the industrial revolution. It’s as if humans of all ages compete in some unspoken production of quotas. Be more. Do more. Produce. Multi-task. Track your steps. Track your progress.

I see stupid amounts of money wasted on gym memberships and fitness gadgets. I’ve watched my own noisy dusty stationary bicycle be hauled off for $15. I anticipate its new owner will continue to honor that bike’s reputation. Stationary.

When We Forget to Laugh

In my 50-something revolutions around the sun, I’ve experienced a cultural devolution. We’ve gained momentum, but lost merriment. It’s as if we’ve strapped playfulness into a corset and stuffed lightheartedness into compression shorts. We’ve become so tightly wound up and rigid that we wouldn’t be able to chuckle even if we could exhale without busting a seam.

Laughter: The Original Core Workout

I’ve learned to embrace laughter as a cheap form of exercise, for both humor and well-being. This foolproof method has lessened frown lines, strengthened abdominal muscles, tested my bladder control, and I’ve laughed so hard that root beer has poured out my nose.

Laughter. No membership. No machines. No time limit. Sometimes, not even an audience other than me and God. What could be better?

Humor in a High-Tech World

I write this at a time when memoirs are topping the publishing charts. There’s a paradox between authenticity and artificial intelligence. Self-control. Mind control. Who controls? What controls? Some people live remotely off the grid. Others rely on electronic remotes.

Enter the freedom to snicker, guffaw, hoot, and chuckle, no matter where you are. I believe we crave some level of frivolity. We buy whimsical things such as singing dill pickles and alligator candy dishes. We favor animation and comedy. In addition to Wal-Mart, where else does one find comic relief?

Rather than cast a cloud of dark humor, I toss a wave of literary cheer into a sea of comedy.

My 7-Minute Abdominal Workout Stand-Up

In my “7-Minute Abdominal Workout” stand-up skits, I share my appreciation for people who provide opportunities to see the brighter side of inconvenience (inconvenient, according to me).

Here are some crowd favorites from what I call my gratitude reframes-a practice I’ve been refining through years of journal reflections and daily wisdom gathering:

-Thank you for being late. It gave me a chance to write the next chapter for another book.

-Thank you for pointing the blame at me. It gave me a moment to be in the spotlight.

-Thank you for cutting me off in traffic. I got to test my fast twitch muscles.

-What I used to tell our son when he got home late: “Thank you for breaking your curfew. It gave us a reminder of what our parents went through when they were raising us.”

-Dedicated to my pop-up computer messages: “Thank you for alerting me that my aol settings are out of date. My wardrobe is out of date too, but my clothes closet doesn’t chime every time I go in there to get dressed.”

Your Invitation to Lighter Living

Friend, I hope today provides you with some lighthearted humor and you can smile your way toward a stronger self. Free yourself from frown lines. Make your lines count!

Frivolously,

Christina