“Fools laugh at others. Wisdom laughs at itself.”- Osho

I took a test recently that was supposed to tell me what my strengths and weaknesses were. One of the highest on the list was my sense of humor. One of the things that has allowed me to survive the worst moments of my life has been my sense of humor. I’ve developed a wicked sense of humor in the process and  I can find the humor in almost every situation.

I cry like the rest of us and there are moments that I feel like someone, as I would say, “broke my brain.” But, after I get angry, sad or, generally freak-out, I laugh. I search my brain and turn the events over and over in my mind until I can find something funny about it. I think it comes from my upbringing. In my family, you learned how to make fun of hardships and complications. The odd thing is that the more difficult the situation, the stronger the laugh. I have been in situations where I am on the verge of tears and then I find myself laughing until my stomach hurts and tears are spilling from my eyes.

They say that the opposite of comedy is tragedy and, often, comedians have the most tragic lives. The reason humor is important is because it causes you to look at life from a different perspective. It is a coping mechanism and it eases stress because it prevents you from taking things too seriously. If you can find the humor or insanity in a situation, almost nothing is the end of the world. It’s also great way to relieve tension in your body. As with everything in life, there must be balance. There are times that require seriousness or a somber attitude. If you don’t take anything seriously,  you will have as many problems as if you take everything seriously.

If you can look at the craziness in your life and find a way to laugh at it, it might not seem so crazy. It may allow you to forgive the situation, learn from it and move on. I have so many funny memories mixed in with my bad memories that I barely remember them as bad as they probably were. For me, today, I have to catch a bus that is notoriously late to get into town to meet someone. The bus route letter is the G. I’ve had such a dysfunctional relationship with this route that I speak about it as if it is a person. So, tomorrow when I arrive late, I will tell my friend, “It’s not my fault, blame it on G. G is never on time. G just doesn’t care about me or anyone else.” Is it silly, yes? But, it makes me feel better and less annoyed and that is all that matters.

“Through humor, you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers. And once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it.”- Bill Cosby

Can you laugh your way through a situation that would normally annoy you? Can you find the funny in life? Can you give me a ride since I am probably still waiting for G? (just kidding) Share your thought on the comments.

 

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