I love to laugh. I can’t help it. I know it causes wrinkles and, especially for me, enhances the little crinkles on top of my nose (which, at my age, is so not good for my face) but it’s so much fun. There is no other feeling in the world than when you hear a good joke, watch a comedy on TV or simply see someone else laugh. It’s contagious too. If I hear my daughter laugh or a baby coo and giggle, I can’t help but do the same. Sometimes, it starts an avalanche of laughter that makes me double over, springs tears from my eyes and causes stomach cramps. I love those moments!
I’ll admit that too often I get so caught up in ‘life’ and all of the problems and issues that go along with it, that I forget to laugh. I worry about my kids, my finances, my marriage. I worry about the house, my job, my friends. I worry, like so many of you, about the little things too. I get all worked up when my kids don’t clean up their rooms, when my husband has to work late or when I forget to renew my People Magazine subscription. It’s the worrying that makes me frown. I’ve been frowning a lot lately.
So I’ve made a promise to myself, that I will try to laugh once a day, lighten my step and see the humor in my life. I promise to pick up a good light breezy book, one with quirky characters in impossible situations, and enjoy the story. I promise to pop in a good movie in and laugh out loud at the funny scenes. I promise to make silly faces at my kids and see which one will crack up first. I promise to tell my husband a corny joke and have him roll his eyes at me while seeing the edges of his lips curl up into a smile. I promise to have more lunch dates with my best girlfriends and joke about our failing diets and our impossible mother-in-laws, all while sipping on a glass of sangria or a frozen margarita.
I promise to laugh more because life is too short and laughter is the best medicine. Besides, frowning adds years to my face.