“Laughter is and always will be the best form of therapy.” Audrey Hepburn
“Dance as if no one were watching, sing as if no one were listening and live each day as if it were you last.” Irish Proverb
(Note 47) After turning 64 I started thinking that I have become more sensitive to the cold as I get older and less spontaneous. I used to be goofy and laugh most of the time. I would get into water fights with hoses and squirt guns, where we would chase each other until we were both soaked-no holds barred-no matter what time of day or what we were wearing! Now I almost cringe and turn my back when anyone picks up the hose and points the nozzle at me, warning, Don’t squirt me. I don’t want to get wet.” It has to be the right temperature, the right mood and only when I am prepared! What happened to me? What happened to the spontaneity, the fun of the moment?
It’s like we’ve all forgotten how to laugh, too focused on the serious aspects of life. We’ve lost our sense of lightheartedness, fun and spontaneity. I once overheard two teenagers talking, and one said, “All my grandparents ever talk about is their health problems. There no fun.” I thought to myself, “Wow. So true, and once one person starts, it’s like the domino effect, where everyone thinks they need to chime in, upping like competition to have the worse problem.” How does talking about all our aches and pains, past and upcoming surgeries, our limitations become such fascinating conversation? Aren’t there any other topics of interest? Have we become boring even to ourselves?
Is this true in your home? Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m trying to change this. Laughter and play is so important for my mental, physical and emotional health. There is a lot research out there that supports laughter as good therapy.
Try to find something to laugh about, do something silly, ridiculous, and outrageous. Be open to the simple things that can also ignite your laughter. When I was probably about five or six, my brother Tom would make a face like Elsie the Cow, flare out his nostrils, roll his eyes and moo. He would always crack me up. That simple act, I am sure, always cheered me up. So laugh, laugh, laugh until it hurts. And I am not talking about feeling good, just a smile or a leaky sound that doesn’t qualifying as a laugh. It has to be loud, heard by others, maybe infectious, over the top, embarrassing, maybe until you think you can’t catch your breath.
This reminds me of a time when I lost it, another remembrance of having uncontrollable laughter. I was in elementary school music class, with about 40 or 50 students. I was sitting next to my best friend at the time, Bob. He whispered to me that the girl in front of us, Becky, looked like a chicken. Instantly, I imagined her pecking like an old, scraggly hen, and suddenly an alien force seemed to take over inside my body. Laughter erupted out of me like a volcano, loud and uncontrollable, a sound I’d never heard myself make before. Suddenly, everyone around me started staring for a split second before they were infected with uncontrollable laughter, even though they had no idea what I was laughing about. The laughter spread like wildfire. Then, out of nowhere, I let out another unrecognizable laugh—a strange, almost Goofy-like cackle that I couldn’t stop. This only made everyone laugh harder. Before long, we were all gasping for air, feeling like we were unable to stop.
Even the music teacher, who initially shook her head, gave in and started laughing along with us. It felt like the laughter went on forever. Oddly enough, instead of feeling embarrassed, I felt free and alive—maybe even a little proud. Go figure!
As older adults we need to find those moments where we can laugh, and let go of our sad thoughts about our limitations and new challenges. We should not have to rely only on reminiscing about old incidents for our fun memories like mine above, but we should now be creating new opportunities for outrageous fun and laughter.
So I dare you to have a water fight the next warm sunny day with someone who won’t slap you for quitting them..
EXERCISE
How often do you laugh? What do you find yourself laughing about? Starting noticing how much laughter is present in your life. When is the last time you did something outrageous, spontaneous and not worried about what others think?
Until next time, don’t act your age.