Greetings Beautiful People,
Initially I was sending TWW on Fridays, using the Friday feel-good factor to fuel my efforts. But after a chat with a friend I decided it would probably be more useful earlier in the week.
This week’s subject is particularly close to my heart so without further ado, let's go IN.
Hope you enjoy.
(Your feedback, positive or negative is welcome.)
1) QOTW
"The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter."
Mark Twain
Mark Twain
2) Story – Laughter as The Way
It’s a beautiful autumn morning and believe it or not I am standing
in a field in a skirt with no underwear on. Pause. OK, it’s a kilt, and
the other two groomsmen are wearing kilts too but that wouldn’t have
made for a compelling opening line.
Robin (aka Bonus) and Steve are exchanging vows - Robin is Jewish and Steve is of Scottish descent. I’m not so big on weddings but this one is something special. Everything has gone like clockwork and there is not one annoying person around to speak of. Even the journey over the pond with Wayne and Steve was wicked, particularly as we haven't hung out in ages. Plus Rosario Dawson smiled at me in Stanstead airport and that's got to be a good omen. A gang of us flew over from the UK and we’re all staying at a huge country house in Boston – it feels like the coolest school trip ever. Out in the countryside there’s a feeling of vastness to America which I never experienced in New York or Orlando. The rich smells of autumn surround us and the trees are massive with infinite leaves of amber, auburn and colours I have never seen before.
Anyway, back to the field. It’s a beautiful setting, a New England vineyard set high up on a hill. It was overcast and raining this morning but I had a word with Mother Nature and I think it might just have done the trick because the skies are now clear and bright.
Robin (aka Bonus) and Steve are exchanging vows - Robin is Jewish and Steve is of Scottish descent. I’m not so big on weddings but this one is something special. Everything has gone like clockwork and there is not one annoying person around to speak of. Even the journey over the pond with Wayne and Steve was wicked, particularly as we haven't hung out in ages. Plus Rosario Dawson smiled at me in Stanstead airport and that's got to be a good omen. A gang of us flew over from the UK and we’re all staying at a huge country house in Boston – it feels like the coolest school trip ever. Out in the countryside there’s a feeling of vastness to America which I never experienced in New York or Orlando. The rich smells of autumn surround us and the trees are massive with infinite leaves of amber, auburn and colours I have never seen before.
Anyway, back to the field. It’s a beautiful setting, a New England vineyard set high up on a hill. It was overcast and raining this morning but I had a word with Mother Nature and I think it might just have done the trick because the skies are now clear and bright.
The rabbi is talking about the
marriage of not just two people but two families, about past generations
and the loved ones we have all lost. Universal human experience. I'd
wondered if all the Jewishness would have me feeling like an outsider
but within moments his words seem to unify everyone gathered regardless
of race or religion. This man is a wizard. I’m looking at Robin and
Steve, thinking about the weight of the commitment they’re about to
make, the courage and the faith of it and I'm in awe of them. They are
both poised, the intensity of it all is written on their faces and yet
you can almost sense them supporting each other through it.
The Gods have clearly smiled upon this match, there are so many
perfect moments: meeting Chrunk’s parents and them thanking me for being
a good friend to her; dancing around in circles singing "hava nagila"
while Robin and Steve are held high on chairs; James’ pre-recorded
message where he dedicated Al Green’s "Let’s Stay Together" to them on
his radio show. The dedication became their wedding dance, seriously,
you couldn't write this stuff.
And as for the speeches....one of Steve's lines is:
"…one day I saw this woman that stood out from the world, like the
rest of the world was two-dimensional and she was in bold, in 3D."
Go on Steve!
(Ed. Yes yes David you sentimental fool, this is all very well but what does it have to do with laughter?)
Alright, well, Robin’s mother Helen gave a speech that I shall paraphrase here:
"People have a lot of different ideas about what makes for a happy
marriage. Some people think that it’s about having lots of things in
common, others think that it’s about money or good sex…but it’s not
about these things. The real key to a good marriage is a sense of
humour…if you can laugh together, you can get through anything."
Not only have these words stayed with me but time has proved to
me again and again the power of laughter to reframe almost any problem.
And as they say, when you change the way you look at things, the things
you look at change.
(Bonus please forward this to your mum. Thank you Robin's mom, you are a legend and we salute you.)
3) Kid President
"Children, who play life, discern its true law and relations more
clearly than men, who fail to live it worthily, but who think that they
are wiser by experience, that is, by failure."
Henry David Thoreau
The True Story of Kid President:
Henry David Thoreau
The True Story of Kid President:
KP Pep Talk:
4) Facts about laughter…
"In the future, patients watching humourous videos could become a standard component of some medical procedures." Dr Margaret Stuber
-Laughter is good for you – it releases endorphins, strengthens the immune system, relieves pain and releases stress.
-There is an NHS Laughter clinic in Birmingham.
-Norman Cousins’ Anatomy of Illness is about how he recovered from terminal disease due in large part to watching lots of comedy. Other health issues which respond positively to laughter therapy include: diabetes, depression, anxiety and insomnia.
-In 1995 Dr Madan Kataria devised a technique called Laughter Yoga. There are now 6000 laughter clubs in 60 countries. Laughter changes the brain chemistry in the frontal and temporal lobes, the same parts of the brain that are affected by depression.
Video - Psychiatrist Dr Nasr on the healing effects of Laughter Yoga:
-Laughter is good for you – it releases endorphins, strengthens the immune system, relieves pain and releases stress.
-There is an NHS Laughter clinic in Birmingham.
-Norman Cousins’ Anatomy of Illness is about how he recovered from terminal disease due in large part to watching lots of comedy. Other health issues which respond positively to laughter therapy include: diabetes, depression, anxiety and insomnia.
-In 1995 Dr Madan Kataria devised a technique called Laughter Yoga. There are now 6000 laughter clubs in 60 countries. Laughter changes the brain chemistry in the frontal and temporal lobes, the same parts of the brain that are affected by depression.
Video - Psychiatrist Dr Nasr on the healing effects of Laughter Yoga:
-The average baby laughs around 300 times per day, the average adult laughs about 20 times per day.
5) Song
Good Girl by The Legendary Roots Crew, Robin Thicke & Jimmy Kimmel:
Have fun out there.
And laugh more, it’s important.
Peace
Dx
ps if you have any ideas for topics you’d like me to cover in future please let me know and I’ll see what I can do.
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