Want to Build Creativity, Boost Your Immune System, and Be More Alert?
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| Photo Credit, Berknot, Creative Commons, cc |
It revved once, and then even the electricity turned off with a sad muted click, and the car sat silent in a frigid fourteen degrees below zero Sunday morning driveway. Yanking a lever under the left side of the dashboard, I jumped out of the car, pulling my mittens higher.
Facing the front of the car, I peered for several long minutes, then squatted down to stare closer. Sliding my hands along the smooth edge, I crouched lower for a better look, tapping on the car, reaching for levers, and slipping my hand inside.
Nothing seemed to be working, and I shivered in the cold morning air, stamping on the icy driveway to stay warm, knowing the answer was there, and should be obvious. I fingered around the car, tapping various connectors, and sliding metal wires and levers, before I was successful.
And that was just to pop the hood!
(Yes, this is the part where I dissolve into peals of laughter at my car ineptness but convinced of my own hilarity.) I know. My friends and family shake their heads in silent humor at me too.
My husband’s mother used to sing this verse to him when he was a child. It still comes to his mind at times, and he’ll break into a husky hum, “A cheerful heart does good like a medicine, but a mournful spirit dries up the bones” (Proverbs 17:22). Charlie Chaplin once said, “A day without laughter is a day wasted.”
Numerous studies have shown the benefits of laughter: lowering blood pressure, improving memory retention, reducing stress hormones, exercising the abdomen, defending against respiratory illness and drastically improving your immune system, while raising creativity and alertness.
I don’t know what your weekend was like or how this week has started out for you, my friend. Some days it can be hard to find the humorous, I know. I’d love to listen, pray with you, or look for ways to laugh with you.
I love hearing from you and getting to know you more. (Those in email can click here to join the conversation.)
My weekend was different. I am on the board of the New Beginnings Resource Pregnancy Center (pro-life) and we had a meeting all day Saturday. Sunday we had to cancel services due to the weather. But I took time to be alone with God and also to laugh with some friends at noon on Sunday. Couldn't drive to church but could to the restaurant. 🙂 Long story but the restaurant was in town and we all lived in town. I laughed a lot yesterday. I am a fan of that. Today maybe not so. I go to the dentist. lol
Laughter is good for the soul. I love to listen to my children laugh. I love to listen to babies laugh. I like to draw on memories of times that made me laugh. I like to laugh at myself. Sometimes you just have to laugh.
Bill,
I love that you work with a pregnancy/pro-life center. Thank you! How funny that the snow affected the church services but not in town events. It's all a matter of how far the distance to drive is, huh? We are experiencing a remarkably snowy winter this year too in MN.
Drat! A dentist today? Sorry, bud. It's not my husband's favorite thing either. May it go smoothly and painlessly.
Jennifer Dougan
jenniferdougan.com
Jayne, laughing with our kids is so much fun, isn't it?
Jennifer Dougan
jenniferdougan.com
I so appreciate your maturity and wisdom when things don't go your way. I need to take notes and use my free will to choose how I respond when things go wrong… and they do on this fallen planet.
Think I'll do me some laughing today!
It was a busy weekend for we were still putting things in place from the move. And we opted not to go to church because we both felt the need to get our apartment in order before the week started. Felt really bad though because we had a missionary speaking at the church…a New Tribes missionary at that. Finally though, today our apartment came together, now life can begin…
Floyd, phew, I'm sure I'm not as mature as you seem to think. 🙂 Thanks though.
Laughing and growing and learning along you, guy,
Jennifer Dougan
jenniferdougan.com
Betty,
Moving is so exhausting! Good for you and your husband for taking some down time last Sunday. It's needed. I imagine that missionary would love to meet you for coffee later in the month or week though, and would completely understand.
May you find every item in every box you need this week! (Or maybe that was just my issue after moving. ;))
Jennifer Dougan
jenniferdougan.com
Ever since I taught myself to knit left-handed (I'm a right hander), I've developed tremendous directional confusion. Down is up, right is left, back is forward – would you believe I turned my clock the WRONG WAY on Saturday night?? Yeppers, couldn't figure out why my husband was getting up at 6 a.m. on Sunday! We sure got a good laugh out of that!
Jana/Cabinart,
Wow, learning to knit with an opposite hand sounds difficult. I'm grinning at the clock goof. You'll laugh though to hear how I remind myself which was is right in daylight's saving. I say, "Early, which means they get to the hour before we do." My husband usually just looks at me and smiles there.
Jennifer
jenniferdougan.com