I was at a band Friday night at our city beach, and there was a group of little kids in front of the stage, ranging in age from 2 years old to 7 years old. They were dancing with abandon, twirling, spinning, falling over occasionally and laughing the entire time.
It was the head thrown back kind of laughter that comes so freely when you are little and seems hard to come by as you grow up.
Some days it can feel like life sucks the air right out of us, which I think is why we struggle to cut loose and laugh like that as often as we should. The burdens we take on weigh us down and impact our emotions so heavily that we don't feel like laughing.
But in reality, laughing is exactly what we need to be able to deal with it all.
There are so many things in life that can make us laugh, we just need to pause to see them.
Sitting in my camping chair at the beach, I took the time to really notice some of them. I saw the lead singer of the band engaging with the kids and making them laugh even harder, which made me laugh.
I smiled at the couple in their 70's who came up to the front of the stage and danced, laughing at each other like no one else existed. That made me laugh too.
Even my son, (who's 11), who actually sat on my lap because he didn't bring his own chair, made me laugh. He wasn't even embarrassed and it felt great to be that close to him.
I felt myself finally relaxing after a crazy, busy work week with every laughable moment.
At work, my coworkers and I often say "If we couldn't laugh about it, we'd have to cry."
I choose laughter.
Sharing that knowing look of frustration or fear and being able to laugh about it can be one of the few things that helps us power through some of our challenging projects.
I am also grateful to have amazing friends and family who can make me laugh that uncontrollable, soul-cleansing kind of laughter that makes your stomach and your cheeks hurt. Some of the best times I have had with them have been around the campfire, telling jokes, razzing each other, sharing funny stories about life, and laughing like crazy.
Sometimes, I even give a little snort (okay, maybe a big snort!) if I am laughing really hard. And that makes the rest of them laugh even harder. It's a beautiful thing.
We all could use a little bit more laughter in our lives.
The next time you feel like life is just too much, pause and look around you. Find something to laugh at, and let yourself really laugh.
Call a friend and ask them to remind you of that "oh my gosh, do you remember that one time?" story that you still can't believe happened. Laugh with them, and remember that life is made up of both good and bad moments, and some of them can be pretty darn funny!
Choose laughter. You'll be happy you did!