Belly Laughs

Belly laughs. Aren't they great? Can you remember the last time you laughed so hard and long that your face hurt, tears rolled down your face, you held your hand to the stitches in your stomach, inhales were impossible but you didn't panic, sweat beads lined your forehead, nose and upper lip, forming words was impossible and the more you thought about what set you off in the first place the harder it was to control the spasms of glee? And I bet you $10 someone else was there. Belly laughs that big only come when shared. Think about it - we can find a scene in a movie funny, or a line in a book, or witness a neighbor's dress blow up as she walks in from the mailbox, but have you ever had one of those intense supernova belly laughs all by yourself? I haven't. In fact, recalling fun I've been fortunate to have in recent days, I'm reminded that half of my reaction to something humorous is the reaction of a third party to that same event. Whether it's the permission to laugh or the shared moment or seeing the look of surprise and entertainment on another face that does it, it's just not the same when you're alone. This works over the phone, too, right? Hearing the amused voice of someone else helps validate your response. Surprisingly, I found this to be true over IM as well. In fact, sometimes the written word can stimulate the funny bone in ways sound or images just can't. Give it a try. Next time you're IM'ing a friend, play a little game of "Worst Hyphenated Names" or recall an incident you had with a stranger and create a story around that person describing the potential reasoning behind the awkward encounter. You'll be surprised what your combined imaginations can come up with - and how one punch line feeds on another building to a crescendo of laughter expressed by the "LOL's" and "HAHAHAHAH's" - all from the comfort of your home...where you can turn bright red and wipe the perspiration from your face in private. Ah, and did I mention the health benefits? Well, I'll let you be the judge of that...just take note of how long that smirk sticks with you after a true belly laugh...inside and out :-) Peace.