I like to laugh. Now that may seem as an odd statement to make. It would seem that everyone likes to laugh. Who can say no to laughing, really? Even curmudgeons are going to laugh every once in a while. I would even venture to guess curmudgeons laugh once a day. But I really like to laugh. I belly laugh. I giggle.  I snicker. Sometimes I just lose it and laugh till I can’t breathe. And my son seems to be following in my footsteps which makes me smile and giggle a little.

And I have taken on a challenge to make sure that for the next four weeks, we really laugh up a storm. We will be laughing our way through Hanukkah, Christmas and the new year. We just ordered our holiday cards and it is of us, and in particular of my son, laughing.   We picked four photos as part of our holiday collage that showcases our silly, laughing side. Here’s the thing.  This year has been tough in many, many ways.  Four people I know died this past year. I will talk about that at some other point. I did two moves. Overall, I had to tap into my resiliency reserves.  And, despite it all I want to make sure we can see the fun in life. That we can experience it. That we can taste it. That we can feel it in our bellies. Thus, we are going to end this year with more than a laugh or two.

I want my son to know that things can get hectic in life but never to hectic to stop and just enjoy a moment or two. I want him to know that even after experiencing disappointment laughter can be had and is welcomed.  We laugh and we pick ourselves right back up.  I truly believe that laughter can be therapeutic and can transport you to another world momentarily. Laughter can also decrease stress hormones and increase immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies. Win-win. Have you ever tried to force yourself to laugh? Really forced yourself? Give it a try sometime. It is a great experiment to try on oneself with really no bad side effects.  I believe in making my own funny.

While I laugh quite frequently, I am making a concerted effort to have fun, be fun and find the funny everyday.   This weekend we caught a magic show, we went bowling and caught a movie. We tickled the dog (well, as much as one can tickle a dog) and threw his ball over 100 times. I believe Winston (our dog) laughed. We were thankful for each other. We were thankful for the moon. The sun. And everything in between.