A Giggle's Good for Everyone

Yesterday I wrote about attending the Washington Interfaith Network 2017 organizing meeting and finding myself surrounded by people that aren't in my normal circle of friends. Many were poor, some quite poor, minorities.  Several had brought wiggly preschoolers, I imagine because they couldn't afford the cost of child care. As a "more mature" white woman, I was clearly in the minority, but since I'd taught at an historically black university for several years, being in the minority was one of the things that wasn't uncomfortable to me.

I'd arrived at about the middle of the big crowd that would assemble, found a seat at an empty table, and started to read through some of the papers I'd been handed when I entered.  Suddenly, up popped a surprise from under the table: a delightful little African-American girl with beads in her braided hair and somewhat a sense of style in her not-too-expensive clothes. I am not good at guessing ages, but I am thinking 24 to 30 months: small enough that she could stand up under the table but I could clearly understand her full sentences.  She giggled and said, "Can I sit on your lap?" as she was making her way onto it.  "Sure," I said. She giggled again.

She picked up a pen and began drawing on the papers, but became frustrated at ink on your hands and was trying very hard to get it off.  I helped.  She gave me a big smile.  Then she was off.  I smiled.

Among the two things in my life that were not quite where I've wanted them to be is laughter.  I've yearned for laughter in my life, and I've given it a lot of thought.  I am intentional about watching at least an hour of comedy every day, but that's different than having a real belly laugh about something as it is unfolding or sharing a funny story about something that occurred at work.  As a person who lives alone, I just don't have occasion for that kind of spontaneous laughter.  I understand the value of laughter to our health and well-being.  I became a certified laughter yoga instructor a couple years ago but couldn't find time to teach. Poor excuse.

This week laughter has been on the syllabus for my health coaching class.  One of our assignments has been to share something that makes us laugh on our class electronic discussion board.  There have been a couple jokes, but family stories, particularly those that involve children, have dominated.  I've been having a little bit of a pitty party for myself as I've read these stories and lamented the downside of living alone.  Then, God dropped this little charmer into my lap...literally.

When she returned, she brought a snack with her, and not a healthy one, I am sad to say. The aspiring health coach in me bit her tongue and smiled. She sat it right in front of me as she just made her way back up on my lap as if she'd known me forever.  She politely offered me some junk food.  I politely declined.  This happened a couple of times, and then, I am truly not sure how it happened, but my mouth was open enough that she slipped a Cheeto into the gap.  I was shocked, and laughed...and she squealed with utter delight.  My little friend stayed for a while longer, drew some more, finished her snack, and then became enamoured with a photographer that she wanted to take her picture.

I would say that I have no idea why she picked me out of the crowd...especially since I don't look like people she is probably around most of the time.  I would say that, but I know it isn't true.  I know exactly why I got that giggle that popped up from under the table: I needed a little kid levity, and I got it, when and where I really least expected it.