Laughter

I was settled into my easy chair. I had my soda on the end table within reach, the TV set on the news, and the latest newspaper on my lap. After busy days this is my state of rest. The chair fits my body, soothes my aching back, and is rest for my spirit.

I am a confessed, news junkie, I need my fix so: Flooding my ears were stories of the latest hurricane to hit Florida, the latest attacks on each of the candidates, the latest war news, the latest terrorist news, the stock market going up and down. In my hands I read of locals going loony and killing each other, traffic problems, local politics, and businesses screaming for my attention through the print. In the newspaper the articles have a particular bent, even though they claim to be neutral, it is impossible. The ads make claims for your money. The TV stations each have their own agenda so I switch between for a rounded perspective on the news. Then I run into a section of pure fun. It seems to me that the comics are pure gratis and I eat them up.

Yesterday I was reduced to tears of laughter from a comic strip. I have found that certain comics relate to me at certain periods in my life. When my kids were young “Calvin and Hobbes” was the best strip and I read it every day. When my kids hit teenagers I found “Zits” to zero in on my funny bone. When I was in the business world “Dilbert” was perfect since I worked for a company that made cubicles. This particular strip was from “Get Fuzzy” who has been having back problems of late. I simply could not read the third frame of the comic without breaking into laughter, I pause and took a drink of my soda, I watched the news again but all I had to do was open the paper and the tears started flowing again. I began to make strange noises as I tried to stifle the guffaws. I finally had to put down that section of the paper and go on to death and destruction.

Laughter is the best medicine but that dose simply wore me out. Now I don’t wish to make light of the events that face our nation and each of us but there was no pill that would have made me feel better than those 15 minutes of pure laughter. When was the last time you were reduced to tears of laughter? When was the last time you took a laugh break? Maybe it’s time.

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