A Good Belly Laugh

Twice this week I've caught PBS reruns of earlier presentations of the Mark Twain Award for American Humor. Earlier this week the recognition was for Tina Fey, and tonight Carol Burnett was the object of the salute.

I laughed at the earlier show, but tonight as I watched old skits from The Carol Burnett Show in the 1960s and 70s, I had several serious belly laughs, which, on more than one occasion, brought me both to stitches and tears. Now on extremely attractive octogenarian, neither Burnett's quick wit nor her singing voice had lost their edge. What a talent!

Good belly laughs are seriously under-valued most of the time, and, at least in my world, they are preciously rare. A good laugh relieves stress and relaxes us, and research shows that people learn better and are more creative after laughing. What's not to like about a good belly laugh?!

I like to think that God has a sense of humor. In fact, I am fairly certain that is the case. If we step back and look at the things that we try willfully to control, only to discover later that the very thing we resisted is the best thing that ever happened to us, can't you just hear divine laughter. And there are the times when I've laughed so I didn't cry only to discover that a chuckle was the perfect response.

One of the things I've discovered (and lamented) about living alone and working in a job that is sobering is that I just don't laugh enough so I've set about being intentional about bringing some serious laughs into my life every day. They give me perspective and help me unwind...and help me see the world a bit more like I think God sees it.




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