Live Long, Laugh Often

Live Long, Laugh Often

It’s hard to say whether yesterday’s low was when Cooper cried inconsolably from 12am-2am or when we forgot about the bike on the roof rack and  tried to drive into the garage. By the time we swept up the shattered glass and plastic in the driveway and found our chicken dinner half cooked in a dead crockpot, we were feeling pretty defeated. Famished, we threw the chicken in the oven and decided to start dinner with salads, but paused first to say a prayer. As I expressed gratitude that “the motion sensor was the only thing that broke when we drove our car into the garage with the bike on top” the whole situation suddenly struck me as being very funny and I found myself suppressing giggles. I hurried and ended with an “amen” just in time for Noel and I to erupt into deep belly laughs.

Noel sent me a link to an NPR snippet titled “Want to Live to 100? Try to Bounce Back From Stress.” The clip talked about a 109-year-old lady that still lives at home. Her gerontologist attributes her longevity not to exercise or a healthy diet, but to her “adaptive competence” or “the ability to bounce back from stress.” I’m not the best at keeping a positive attitude when difficult or even minorly irritating things happen, but I’ve definitely felt better the times I’ve laughed instead of cried. Joseph B. Wirthlin wisely said, “the way we react to adversity can be a major factor in how happy and successful we can be in life” (from “Come What May and Love It“). There are a million things to want in life (and I surely don’t have a small wishlist), but I’m learning that one of the most valuable things I may ever possess is a good sense of humor.

 

4 thoughts on “Live Long, Laugh Often

  1. I still chuckle about getting hit by a covered wagon at 75 miles an hour on the freeway and living to tell about it.

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