Читать книгу Above and Beyond - J.S. Dorian - Страница 63

“Look up, laugh loud, talk big, keep the color in your cheek and the fire in your eye, adorn your person, maintain your health, your beauty, and your animal spirits.”

WILLIAM HAZLITT

How long has it been since something struck you so funny that you laughed until your ribs ached and your eyes watered? Has it been far too long? Does it seem that nothing is even slightly amusing anymore?

Perhaps, because you feel so fragile, you work hard to hold your emotions in check and are unwilling to become too sad or too glad. Perhaps, because of lingering illness, you frequently feel blue and it seems there is no place for humor in your life. Or perhaps, because of the way your loved ones are being affected by your illness, you think that laughter would be inappropriate.

For now, let’s put all of that aside. Let’s forget about maintaining our composure and keeping a stiff upper lip. Let’s remember how wonderful it feels to release ourselves in uproarious laughter, to giggle, snort, and even bellow at the absurdity of our own foibles, malapropisms, and indelicacies. Let’s remember, above all, that few healing forces are more accessible or powerful than the sound and sensation of our own laughter.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

I’m laughing not just to keep from crying but also for pleasure and peace of mind.