Karla’s Korner: LOL! (Laugh Out Loud)

I am proud to introduce a new column to Madame Deals! I think we all need a touch point a place we can go to be inspired. Karla is my children’s teacher, a good friend, and a person with a heart of gold. I hope that her words will inspire you to do more. We are only as good as the people we surround ourselves with. It is important to listen with your heart and proceed with your eyes open. Enjoy!

LOL! (Laugh Out Loud)

Several months ago I joined a Bible study group at my church. We call it Wednesday at the Well. The idea behind this is that in our physical lives we have to go to the “well” to fill our physical needs. Our physical bodies need nourishment to continue running, so we must take a time out from the hustle and bustle of life to eat, drink, rest and maintain our bodies in order to continue to run life’s race. Much like our physical selves, taking time to refresh and renew our spiritual selves is important. For me I have set aside Wednesday evenings to do just that. Our study begins with dinner, prepared by one of our group members (we take turns) and once we have re-fueled our bodies we dig in and begin our time of study. Throughout the course of two months or so we have studied how humor and faith are intertwined and the importance of humor in our lives. Learning about the many types of humor and how it can benefit or cause harm has been an eye opening lesson. Taking care not to laugh at someone because of misfortune is an unacceptable form of humor; however, laughing with someone is always a good thing.

The past several weeks has brought random thunder storms to my area. In the blink of an eye the clouds roll in and the rain begins to pour. Ironically these storms seem to come around the time I am leaving work and parents are picking up their children from school. One particular afternoon the rain blew in so hard and so fast that everyone was soaking wet within minutes; well not everyone I stayed in and waited for a break…you know, it’s all about the hair. As I stood at the door watching as parents, grandparents, nannies and school children dart out of the building and into their cars I noticed that most of them were laughing. One little boy made a mad dash straight for the big puddle that was forming in the crosswalk. As he jumped around laughing and splashing I wondered what it was that made me stay inside and wait for the rain to subside. My answer….fear. Knowing what I look like with wet hair and not wanting anyone to see me for fear of being laughed at; I cowered inside the safety of shelter to wait until it was safe to leave without being noticed. Shame on me; I let a perfect opportunity to laugh pass me by.

This past weekend my husband and I went to a NASCAR race with friends. Mother Nature decided to show up and rain on our parade. A few sprinkles did not dampen our party, however, the thunder, lightning and blowing gusts of rain sent us all to our cars to wait out the storm and for NASCAR to decide if they would run the race or not. As we sat in our car, eating pound cake and listening to the radio, we couldn’t help but people watch. Wondering aloud as to why people would be out in the soaking rain (some with young children) instead of their cars I came to the conclusion that they were having fun. They were (most of them) laughing and having a good time. They left their cares at home and in spite of the nasty weather had a great time. I will admit that some of them had a little help loosening up with the aid of their adult beverages; like the young woman wearing an umbrella hat and flip flops who got her feet stuck in the mud. No, I wasn’t laughing at her, I was laughing with her.

When is the last time you laughed; laughed out loud until you snorted or spewed diet coke out your nose? More than likely your answer would not include any time in the recent past. Somehow we grow up and forget how to laugh. Adulthood is no laughing matter; but it should be. As a preschool teacher I am given the privilege to share laughter with my students on a daily basis. Little kids are funny….really really funny. They will say and do just about anything. Sometimes, they laugh not knowing why; they just do. I have discovered that when we have had a day full of laughs and giggles, my students tend to behave better, eat better and rest better. Laughter not only makes them happy, it helps their bodies perform better. The old saying “Laughter is the best medicine” is really true.

As you go about your week try to find time to laugh. Allow yourself the opportunity to laugh out loud. Watch a comedy, read a funny book, share goofy jokes with your children or spouse or stand in front of a mirror and make funny faces at yourself. Like any good writer, I researched the benefits of laughter thinking I would share them, however, I came across a few quotes on laughter that I felt would be more beneficial that some stuffy old research. I hope that you can find the humor in them that I did and that your week will be filled with a few belly laughs, corny jokes and a lot of smiles and giggles with those in your world.

“Sometimes I laugh so hard the tears run down my leg.” ~Author Unknown
“Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.” ~Victor Borge
“What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul.” ~Yiddish Proverb
“Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face. “ ~Victor Hugo

Peace,
Karla

Check out all of Karla’s Korner articles here.

Also, please visit Karla’s Lifetime Moms page and read her articles.