Laugh and the world laughs with you, cry and you get sent to your room!

elephant seals
Originally uploaded by S'mee.

Here's a life lesson we should all teach ourselves and those we care about: LauGh! Laughter is GOOD for you. This University of Maryland Medical Center study has research that suggests "that laughter is linked to healthy function of blood vessels. Laughter appears to cause the tissue that forms the inner lining of blood vessels, the endothelium, to dilate or expand in order to increase blood flow." "At the very least, laughter offsets the impact of mental stress, which is harmful to the endothelium." In layman's terms: Lighten up and enjoy life.

Some of you may be thinking, "yeah right. I've got bills to pay, a kid with studs in her eyelid, and my wife is joining a cult that forces her to only eat broccoli!" Well the scriptures, and I have plenty of them if you want 'em (see the topical guide under "joy" & "adversity"), tell us that EVERYTHING that happens on this floating rock is here for our benefit. Hey, That means the now airline safety check challenged youth and your broccoli eating wife are all part-o- the plan! No one can tell you your kid ain't got a magnetic personality! Hey, your wife makes us green with envy! And the bills? At our house they are so big we give 'em the respect they deserve and address them as "William(s)". (think about it a minute - it will come to you.) If we don't learn to laugh and have a sense of humour, we'll just cry and make ourselves miserable.

I broke both of my ankles on a handicapped access ramp. It hurt like the dickens, and all I could think of at the time was, "I've fallen and I can't get up!" After one foot was put in a cast and the other in some funky boot the size of Kentucky, I kind of stuck out in the crowd. Telling folks you fell off a handicapped ramp defines you as one village idiot. I began to tell folks I did it hang gliding, or saving a puppy from a run away car... (you need to visualize here, trust me, I am not the running into the middle of the street kind of gal, nor will you ever catch me near the edge of a cliff!)

Point here is this: It could be worse. You could be a "majestic creature of the sea" such as my friend at the top, Mr. Elephant Seal. e-gads.

p.s. I sent a copy of this post over to Converstion, so it will be the exact post; but hey, they have all kinds of other great ideas today. Go take a peek!