Play and Laughter

😀 "I am thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose."   Woody Allen

Have you ever laughed so hard you have spit whatever was in your mouth across the room? Or doubled over, unable to breathe because your body is convulsing with laughter?  I have and I easily remember the intense feeling of being part of something that is hilarious. I love to laugh!! It is like internal exercise and according to the Mayo Clinic, laughter is a good stress reliever. It also stimulates many organs, it enhances your intake of oxygen-rich air, stimulates your heart, lungs and muscles, and increases the endorphins that are released by your brain. No wonder I always feel better after laughing. I have a hunch that shutting out play time that includes a lot of laughter also increases our aging process.

I was thinking this morning about how much fun it is to play and to laugh and the value there is in having fun. My favorite gatherings are when people come over and we sit around the table playing Uno or poker or other board games. No matter what we choose to play during those gatherings, we always have fun and laugh a lot. I feel better after those events. Sometimes my jaw hurts from laughing so hard but I feel energized after a play session.

I wonder what has happened to so many adults that made us think that because we were grown ups we were supposed to be serious. I have come to the conclusion that I can be serious when needed and I can be silly when desired. There are certain people in my life who I love to be around because we know we are free to be as silly as we want to be. 

Thinking back to when I was a child, in the 1940's, my every day in the summer and every weekend during the school year was an opportunity to get outside and play.  We played ladies, house, tag, hide and seek, dodge ball, red rover, Simon says, football and baseball and sometimes we rode our bicycles for hours. I hurriedly did my chores so I could get outside and play. 

We played to our hearts content and never wanted to come inside.  When we played we put our whole hearts into what we were doing. If the weather was bad out, I would sit in my bedroom and play paper dolls for hours. I never got bored or complained that I had nothing to do. Playtime was the highlight of my life then and I am noticing how important it is to me at this juncture of my journey. 

Last Saturday afternoon, Paul and I sat and binge watched Schitts Creek and hooted and hollered with laughter. Christmas afternoon he and I sat at our kitchen table and he read excerpts from "The Little Fart Book" out loud. We both laughed till we hurt and after a couple of hours we put the book away and did something else. It seems something magical happens between us when we play and laugh together. I love to play, I love to laugh and I honestly think it is what keeps me young at heart. 

In the chaotic, fast-paced world we live in today it is easy to get caught up in the minutiae of every day life and forget to take time out for whole hearted living. I pray that every one who reads this has an outlet in their life where they can let go and throw themselves into playtime and laughter. If you are one who does not have that in your life, I encourage you to create an outlet for yourself where you can be lighthearted and free. One of our greatest freedoms is the freedom to laugh out loud.

"We don't stop playing because we turn old, we turn old because we stop playing,"  Satchel Paige