Humor

By Jennifer Kummins

“Laughter is the closest thing to the grace of God.”

~Karl Barth

Quick! Think of three people who make you the happiest. Got 'em? Great! Are these very serious, rigid, non-joking people? If you answered “yes,” um... wow... you're really throwing me off. If you answered “no,” thank you... you are already in sync with where I'm going here!

For all the wisdom that we seek, we so often leave behind a crucial ingredient in the formula for personal success: humor! We read tons of books ... we attend classes on how to use energy, master yoga, or eat live foods. We attend lectures on how to communicate with our angels, heal our physical ailments, and more. But in our zeal for knowledge, how many of us have simply forgotten to laugh?

Laughter is God's daily mini-crash-course on how to be spiritual. It delivers a powerful, instant dose of happiness and a true sense of renewal. What could be more spiritual than that? Laughter is a direct lifeline to happiness, longevity, and vitality. You can be having a really rotten day... then something funny happens. Poof! The weight of the day's events has been lifted into thin air. Where did it go? You see, humor got it, and laughter carried it away. Laughter is a gift from God... a gift that comes to all of us for free, if we only choose to accept it! What if, instead of spreading news and gossip, you spread a laugh, a goofy, humor-tweaked moment that left a joyous impression on your audience?

If you're in need of a life-lift, skip the front page and head straight for the Dave Barry column! With his silly, straightforward style of confronting life's goofiness, I choose Mr. Barry's column every time. I'll have plenty of time later to catch up on politics, so I cherish the gift of a moment of laughter and self-understanding first. Humor reveals us to ourselves! Instead of watching hours of the treacherous news on television to keep in touch with your world, spend thirty minutes watching an off-the-wall sitcom that keeps you in touch with your inner self. Your connection with the world will follow the connection you reap within yourself.

Back to these three people that you are happiest around: spend more time with them! If laughter breeds joy, then fun-filled friendships are the breeding ground. We know that the path to success is paved with many trials. Would someone without a sense of humor really be able to keep climbing if she wasn't able to look at herself and laugh when she fell? Without humor, she might never get up from the first fall, let alone make it to the top.