Something to Laugh at

My wife and I have a habit that I like.  We don't have any sort of TV reception--no cable or satellite--so we basically watch only DVD's that we rent.  The habit that I like is watching something that we find funny with dinner--it's a great way to wind down after a long day, and the laughter is like a balm that allows us to feel better and to enjoy ourselves.  Since it's just the two of us for dinner, we're not missing the family time for dinner (we never had the TV on at dinner time while my step-kids were still living at home) and we're using the time to enjoy ourselves and find something to laugh at.

The laughter is something that's very important to us.  Laughter is one of the most important things in the world, and it's great to laugh at something funny every evening.  It's a very relaxing feeling, one of letting go a bit and enjoying ourselves.  We're careful not to choose programs that don't try to get laughs by insulting or humiliating others, for we don't find that at all funny.  Rather, we find shows that we know we like, that we know we can laugh at, and that we know are going to lighten our spirits.

This is a conscious decision that we've made, to make laughter a part of each day that we can.  I also often read Calvin and Hobbes when I go to bed, because I find it nice to laugh a bit before I go to sleep--the laughter clears my mind and makes me feel better.  When I was in grad school, I made Animaniacs and Tiny Toon Adventures a part of every day, and they helped me a great deal to lighten my academic load and give me a perspective.

What makes you laugh?  Do you choose to make that something a part of every day?  If you don't, you should, for deciding to expose yourself to something that's going to cause you to laugh is going to improve your state of mind and make you feel much better--about yourself and about life in general.  In all the grimness that we're exposed to each day, and with all the bad things we hear that people do to other people, it's nice to make laughter an important part of who you are.  And who knows who's going to be using you as a role model--would you rather they see you as someone who laughs a lot, or as someone who's stern and unsmiling, never having any fun?  That's a question only you can answer. . . .

I am especially glad of the divine gift of laughter:  it has made
the world human and lovable, despite all its pain and wrong.

W.E.B. DuBois