Ever since happiness heard your name,
it has been running through the streets
trying to find you. — Hafiz
Sometimes life delivers a perfect storm of disasters that are so bad they’re funny. It’s almost like the universe is doing a koochie-koo to get us to take ourselves less seriously.
One of my (many) comedies of errors was no tragedy in the greater scheme of things. After an intense week of travel and moving our daughter into her new college dormitory, my husband and I stayed at a nice bed-and-breakfast — mostly just recovering. We were looking forward to spending a week of rest and relaxation in the Colorado Rockies.
Tragedy + Time = Comedy
On the first day of this much anticipated vacation, my beloved digital camera (with all the photos of our trip so far) went poof. Vanished in the chaos of the week.
After searching everywhere, it occurred to me that I might have left the camera on top of the car.
On foot patrol to retrace our drive the next day, I must have looked like a madwoman, scanning sidewalks and gutters of a busy street — sprinting so as not to get hit by cars . . . and a big rainstorm was coming my way. Then it happened — a one-two punch: a twisted ankle and a torrential downpour of monsoon proportions, in that order.
Soaking wet, I hobbled back to the car and my waiting husband, who himself was ailing from a massive cold. Without missing a beat he says: “I’m just so glad we have a mountain view because that is just about as close to the mountains as we’re going to get.”
What else is there to do but laugh at the absurdity of our situation . . . then let go.
Shortly after the camera debacle, my sister happened to post this message on Facebook. Another koochie-koo from the big U: Tragedy + Time = Comedy.
Laugh. . . Out Loud
Besides setting boundaries, self-care includes a healthy dose of humor. If you’re not laughing every day, it’s time to start. Laughter creates powerful chemicals in the brain that act quickly to reduce stress and tension and lower blood pressure.
Lightening up your attitude will open new channels and new possibilities for change. It will immediately raise the energy in your home and life and make you feel more alive. The more joy you feel, the more you will radiate lightness and attract lighter people. Joy and laughter are the best beauty treatment I can think of.
The Gift of Humor
I threw a birthday party for myself years ago to which I invited only those friends who would be fun and lively and appreciate Mexican food (my favorite). Instead of presents, I asked my friends to offer me a gift of their humor: I asked them to do something that would make me laugh.
Our next-door neighbor offered his tiny basement theater (yes, believe it or not, equipped with a little stage and a state-of-the-art lighting and sound system) for my friends to completely let loose and be the hams they really are. My funniest friend volunteered to act as master of ceremonies and was as good as or better than Leno and Letterman. People rose to the occasion and, one after the other, outdid themselves.
The result was delightful, no holds barred, spontaneous, hysterical, magic! I laughed so hard my stomach muscles hurt for days afterward. I still look at the video we made of the event and am able to recapture the energy and joy of that moment. It remains one of the most unforgettable experiences of my life.
If you want to support yourself in feeling lighter, start laughing. Laugh with your spouse at the fact that your infant daughter threw up on you twice. Laugh at the fact that your car has broken down for the fifth time. Laugh at the fact that life seems to be giving you one lemon after another.
If you can’t laugh, try one of those fake “ha ha” laughs a few times, and see what happens. “Acting as if ” is no different from the real thing to the unconscious mind.
Clearing Practice: Lightening Up
Do one thing that makes you laugh out loud, guffaw, split a seam — whatever it takes. If you need a little assist, try one of these suggestions.
- Choose to spend more time with people in your life who make you laugh a lot. Stay away from Debbie Downers.
- Watch reruns of funny shows, such as I Love Lucy or Friends. Tape them for later or when you really need a boost.
- Google “YouTube + Really Funny Videos.”
- Check out the video clip in which Ellen DeGeneres talks on the phone to a ninety-year-old woman from Austin, Texas, named Gladys. “Ellen talks to Gladys Hardy + I love Jesus but I drink a little,” is probably one of the funniest six minutes on YouTube that I have ever seen.
Clearing Journal
Use this space to recall and tap into the feeling of complete and utter joy.
- Some of the ways I have the most fun in my life are ______________
- The people in my life who make me laugh (out loud) the most are ______________
- The idea of being filled with joy all the time makes me feel ______________
- One thing I can do right now [today] that will lift my spirits is ______________
©2012 by Stephanie Bennett Vogt, MA. All Rights Reserved.
Reprinted with permission of the publisher, Hierophant Publishing.
Dist. by Red Wheel/Weiser, Inc. www.redwheelweiser.com
Article Source
Your Spacious Self: Clear the Clutter and Discover Who You Are
by Stephanie Bennett Vogt.
Click here for more info or to order this book on Amazon.
About the Author
Stephanie Bennett Vogt, MA, is the author of the award-winning and re-released Your Spacious Self: Clear the Clutter and Discover Who You Are, and a contributing author of Pearls of Wisdom with Jack Canfield, Marci Shimoff, et. al. and The Thought That Changed My Life Forever with Bernie Siegal, et. al. As New England’s leading space clearing expert she brings over thirty-five years of experience to SpaceClear, the teaching and consulting practice she founded in 1996 helping homes and their occupants come into balance. Stephanie teaches her inspirational clearing programs at centers worldwide. Visit her at www.spaceclear.com
