Sometimes I forget how good it feels to laugh.
I used to clown around a lot more, but as I’ve gotten older I’ve found that I don’t actually make time to laugh, or live lightly in a moment.
Today, I found time to laugh as I enjoyed a day in the cool mountain air with my girls before the back to school mayhem begins.
We laughed about my initial charcoal burned attempts to cook paleo pancakes (banana, eggs and vanilla), my monkey bar showing off for Lisa and Elliana (after a year of crossfit workouts and some strength training I can even do pull ups again–which I haven’t been able to do since my 20s), the attack of a carp down by the lake that sent Lisa scrambling up the hill until she realized it was basically a giant goldfish that was just as scared as she was.
Then the owners of the Lake of the Woods gave Elliana some duck food ‘on the house’, and we laughed as about 15 ducks followed her around the lake the rest of the night, until a brilliant orange post monsoon sunset transformed into a brilliant purple-pink, amid the occasional slap of a leg or arm to kill the onslaught of mosquitos trying to make a meal out of our unprotected appendages.
After dinner, we laughed as we watched Evan Almighty, wrapped up in a blanket out on the porch.
I remember when we attended the Mind Body retreat back in our infertility days, and they talked about the importance of laughter to get through the infertility experience.
Often cruder humor seems to resonate with a lot of people, but whether it’s South Park’s foul mouthed student body, or Scooby Doo’s goofy interactions with Shaggy, laughter takes the edge off, and really is an essential part of not just mental health but without a doubt physical and spiritual health.
Hope this weekend, you have the chance to laugh.