Quote-A-Day: Day 102

#Laughter alone may not save lives, but it certainly extends them. #QuoteADay #Day102 #edchat #edu #LaughMore #HaveFun

I laughed more over the last two days than I have in a long time.  That isn't to say I don't laugh often.  In fact, I laugh all the time.  But, my Friday evening into Saturday morning with a number of colleagues and friends was so uproarious, so ridiculous, that I laughed so hard and so regularly that my sides hurt as I'm typing this.

I know I've read a number of articles that speak to the health benefits of laughing.  I don't believe I've ever read of laughter actually saving someone's life (I'm sure it has happened somewhere, at some time), but I can't imagine that laughing this much these last two days hasn't had a positive effect on my health.

We live in a world that is so fast-paced, and often so stressful, that sometimes it is all we can do to not cry or scream.  So, the opportunities where we can laugh, and laugh hard, need to come regularly enough to allow us to let off steam and totally decompress.

I think, too, that laughter not only benefits those in the conversation, but also puts those outside of it in a better mood too.  A baby's laughter can brighten an entire room.  While that of an adult might not have quite the same effect, it's hard not to smile when you stumble upon a few folks laughing so hard that they can't even speak.

We need to make time to laugh everyday.  And, we need to make sure we find the time to laugh with everyone in our circles.  Happiness and the art of laughter cross age, cultural, and language barriers.  As a form of communication that is hard not to feel good about, it pays for all of us to do more of it.