There is nothing quite like a belly-splitting, eye-watering laugh. I am not often prone to letting go like that, but when it happens… Oh, what a feeling. After I wipe my eyes and catch my breath, I always feel better than I did before.

Even (or maybe especially) when I wasn’t supposed to laugh!

I can still remember the time my husband and I were invited to participate in a two-hour survey. We were told that we would watch a pilot for a new TV show and rate it. We liked the idea, and showed up eager to do our part. The place was packed with adults, and we barely managed to find seats. What we quickly realized was that most of the session involved ads that might air on networks across the country. We were to rate those as well. The ads ran first. Near the end of the session we finally previewed the so-so pilot TV show that never saw the light of day.

Back to those ads. Like everyone else, we were serious about sharing our opinion, which we did by completing a form after each piece aired. Then it happened. An ad that happened to be for deodorant stuck my husband and me as funny.

Picture a dark night and a furious rainstorm. A woman in a raincoat and holding an umbrella stands under a streetlight. A male voice off-camera mentions a certain brand of deodorant. Suddenly she whips out a stick of roll-on deodorant and pretends to apply it under her arm. Wearing a raincoat, in the pouring rain, under the streetlight.

Hilarious!!!  Okay, maybe you had to be there…

We started to giggle. Quietly at first, as no one else seemed to find the ad humorous. We tried to stop… But then, we would glance at each other and continue laughing. Before long, we were howling.

 Oh, the dirty looks we got! We knew we should behave, which only made what we were doing funnier to us. Finally, we pulled it together and sobered up.

The amazing part of this experience is that I remember it at all. Another time, not long after my mother passed away, our family was sitting around, sharing Mom stories. I don’t remember what was said, but it was something funny enough to have us all in stitches. That time, I laughed so hard that I cried, big, drippy tears. What a great release that turned out to be.

Experts agree that laughing is good for us. http://bit.ly/1ypXAsq

For those so inclined, there are even laughter yoga classes available. http://www.laughteryoga.org/english/club/home

Until next time,

Ann

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