They say, next to anti-depressants, it's the best medicine

Frequent and loud laughter is the characteristic of folly and ill manners.
--Lord Chesterfield

Lord Chesterfield has my number, but then I never did like that guy. Yes, I laugh easily. I laugh heartily.  My laugh makes people laugh. My Freakin’ Angel friend Theresa told me it's one of the things she likes best about me. Though she added that there really isn't much else to choose from. Theresa recently reminded me of an occasion at a small movie theater in which she heard a woman’s loud distinctive laugh and told her husband, “I think that’s Kim.” Husband thought she was crazy. Rob and I ran into them leaving the theater. Yep. That was me.We still laugh about it. Ha.

It may seem to be a desperate subconscious cry for attention, but honestly, my laugh is genuine and heartfelt. It makes me feel good to laugh hard. As Charles Swindoll writes, “Laughter should come easily to a place characterized by joy.” It does that for me. Laughing removes all traces of sadness, stress, frustration, irritation, etc. I feel so wonderfully alive when laughing out loud, consumed by the moment.

I just wish I wasn’t often the only one laughing.  Like at church. Or my child’s school assembly (where the kids turn around to look at me instead of paying attention to the speaker). Or in the theater.  It seems what I find laugh-out-loud funny is often not what others perceive worthy of a hearty chuckle. I have a soft spot for dry humor, smart humor, and snarky humor (no kidding). Comedians Jim Gaffigan, Chris Rock, and Jerry Seinfeld are favorites. And I still miss Dennis Miller on Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update. I think being quick-witted is an exceptional trait (my son Ian is among the gifted) and I can appreciate light-hearted, good-for-the-soul attempts to make me laugh (as found in many a forwarded email joke and those cute BBC talking animal videos).   

I think the Three Stooges and most Jim Carrey movies are stupid, I’ve never been a Lucille Ball fan, and potty humor doesn’t do much for me either.

Humor does not appear to be a genetic trait. I think my funny bone is substantially larger than that of either of my parents (though on the occasions that my dad does laugh out loud, it’s worth the wait) or my sister (though when she gets going, her laugh itself is hysterical). While Ian has a terrific sense of humor, Abby may have been born without a funny bone. After watching the BBC talking animal video, she asked, “Why is that funny? Animals don’t really talk, you know.” And she saw no laughter potential in the Muppets, which breaks my heart.

Another side to having a sense of humor and embracing life’s laugh track, is being eager to make others laugh. This is one of my goals in life, born out of necessity and pain, of course. Like many a comedian, my desire to make others laugh masks a deep insecurity and need for validation. Somewhere around the age of six months, when I first realized I was not like everyone else, I made it my life's work to distract from my differences by creating laughter, even at my own expense. I'm still working it out in therapy, but don't let that stop you from finding me amusing. 

In my next post, I'll share how I cry easily, cry heartily, and how my cry makes other people cry. Have your tissues ready.