Life Is Better When We're Laughing

I was 12 in this picture I think.

That was 35 years ago almost! Hard to believe.

I can still hear the sound of my dad's laughter, and this picture captures the expression on his face perfectly.

My Dad used to have the worst jokes.

I had a big crush on Kirk Cameron back in the day and he'd call him "Cam Kurtainrod" and he'd laugh and laugh. He never got tired of that.

Or he'd wear these silly t-shirts that said things like "Insanity is hereditary, you get it from your kids" or "Merry Christ-Moose."

I used to groan at those jokes back then. But now they make me smile.

I miss that laugh.

Truth be told, I miss those days.

When there wasn't so much to worry about, so many decisions to make, so many adult responsibilities to manage.

I think part of what adds to the stress of being an adult is that we don't laugh enough.

It's easy to get caught up in all of the hard stuff. To go days just dealing with life and the weight that can come with that.

We forget to look around and see the little things that make us smile, to take the opportunity to let ourselves sit in those real moments and laugh about them.

This picture of Dad and me sits on my mantle above my fireplace.

It reminds me not to take life too seriously all the time.

Sometimes I listen, sometimes I don't.

And now here we are, more than a week into the new year already.

Let's try harder this year to find the humor in life. To choose to laugh instead of worry, to find the smile in the silly things that happen to us.

I started a new tradition at work last year where every Wednesday is bad joke Wednesday. I bring one to our standing team meeting first thing in the morning.

They are really bad jokes.

Like this one:

"Why didn't the skeleton climb the mountain?"

Wait for it...

"Because he didn't have the guts."

It makes us laugh though. And sets the tone for the start of our day.

I think we should tell really bad jokes every day. Not just on Wednesdays.

And I think we should spend more time with the people who make us laugh.

I'm going to see two of my best friends next weekend who always make me laugh. We laugh about the silliest things, and even when we stop laughing, we can just look at each other and start laughing again.

We laugh until our stomachs hurt and then we laugh some more.

Every single time we're together.

There is humor in almost everything. We just have to look for it.

Even if life is especially tough for you right now, find something to laugh about. It won't take the hard stuff away, but it sure can help distract you for a moment and lift your spirits.

Share with me what's made you smile this week, what made you laugh, how you found the humor in the everyday moments.

Let's fill the comments on this post with stories that make us all smile.

After all, life truly is better when we're laughing.

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