You don't stop laughing because you grow old. You grow old because you stop laughing.
--Michael Pritchard
People have told me I don?t look my age. I have lines in the corners of my eyes and around my mouth. I call them my ?laugh lines?. I think having a sense of humor has helped me feel younger and so I look younger.
I have lived through a lot of bad events. I?m not that different from other people. I?m sure that everyone?s had bouts of financial trouble, problems with their adolescent children, tragedies to cope with, dealing with nasty people and so on.
I used to have a ?gloom and doom? attitude about the ?curse? on my family and I felt angry about it. I kept the anger buried and vented only in my journal. My parents would drink too much and they?d fight. My brother got into trouble. I didn?t want to bring friends home because I never knew if everyone would be sober. We had tons of bad luck with money, the car, and family relationships. We?d have company and I?d pretend everything was fine but inwardly, I?d think nothing ever would be fine.
As I got older and then married, I was realized that even though bad things happened, life went on. I developed something of a ghoulish sense of humor about bad stuff. I would tell myself, ?Oh well, they say what doesn?t kill you always makes you wish it had? or ?it builds character and boy are we some characters!? Or I?d say kiddingly, ?Here we are again, the Job family!? That probably doesn?t sound funny at all but it helped get me through some really awful periods in my life.
If I learned one thing about having a sense of humor, it?s this: smiling and laughing triggers the brain to release feel-good sensations from the brain. I don?t remember the exact name of it; I just know that it works. I think it?s what kept me sane throughout all those hard or sad times. I also think it?s kept me young.
My body aches and creaks a lot now but I?m not ready for a rocking chair. I might not get up and boogie physically but my mind does. I think that?s why some people continue to flourish healthily and do some many different things during retirement. It?s an opportunity for a new life, not a reason to slow down and wither.
I won?t lament getting older. I?m looking forward to new experiences and new reasons to laugh.
Monday Madness:
1. On Sunday afternoon, I like to just...
relax and read a book or write in my journal.
2. I'm behind someone at a traffic light, the light turns green and they just sit there, I...
give them a chance to wake up from a day dream or realize they?ve broken down. Then I?d tap the horn and if they shrug or something, I?ll try to get around them when the coast is clear
3. My immediate reaction to someone making a nasty remark to me is...
feel angry but try to ignore it
4. If I had to live in a state/country where it was cold most of the year, I would...
wear lots of warm sweaters or coats and vacation in warm places!
5. When the weather outside is hot and humid, I prefer to...
wear as little as possible
6. My favorite 'comfy' clothes to wear around the house is...
one of TB?s old shirts and a pair of jeans
7. If given a deadline at work/school to finish a project, I usually...
finish at the last minute!
8. If someone gave me a pet for my birthday, I would...
be happy, well, depending on which kind of pet it is!
9. As far as watching the clock on weekends, I...
try to avoid looking at it
10. I usually wash my car about every...
time TB feels like it or we can convince the kids to do it.
Sounds to me like you have a great attitude on life! AND not only does laughing and smiling keep you young, it is good for your health! There's some medical term for what happens when we laugh for one minute, but I do know it's supposed to help fight off disease; even cancer! Keep smiling!!! =)
Posted by: otto at February 9, 2004 11:50 PM