And Happiness For All

More than twice this past week someone has commented to me (in response to something I've said), "Thanks, I really needed to laugh today." And I am happy to bring a little chuckle to people every now and then. Sometimes I can be quite funny (yes, accountants can be funny). But I started to think about how many people commented that they needed to laugh. Is it just me or is it sad that so many people are lacking in happiness, or at least joviality, in their lives? Maybe it is just this season of the year when the weather turns colder and the skies turn darker and the holiday stress beats down upon us.

And yet, shouldn't now be the season for happiness? Shouldn't now be the season for laughter and jovial fun? Shouldn't now be the time to laugh with friends and family, even if it is just to observe how human and funny we all are? Shouldn't now, when we celebrate the birth of our Savior, King, Lord and Redeemer be the time when our burdens are lifted and our hearts are lighter? I didn't say that we should be silly or light-minded. Indeed, there is never really a right time for light-mindedness (though there are times for some silliness now and then). But we should have lightened hearts, as opposed to heavy hearts.

(Speaking of silly, while my family and I were in New Orleans this past month, my sister and I were walking down the grand staircase in our hotel. For some reason we both started to race each other to the bottom. About 5 or 6 stairs from the landing, I got the idea to jump, and thus beat her to the bottom. She had the exact same idea at the exact same time. We both hit, rather hard, the cement and tile landing at the same time and broke out laughing. We also both realized that we were no longer as young as we once were and that the landing did jar our legs and feet a bit more than we would have liked. Of course, this realization made it all the more funny.)

I am reminded of a desire I once had to write a book about happiness. I was taking time off between changing jobs and I thought to write down my impressions on living and achieving a happy lifestyle. I was very young (and idealistic) and I am sure my book would have sounded like so much rehashed tripe. But the point is that I have thought for a long time that we in this country (and maybe in many parts of the world) do not know how to be happy. We search for happiness everywhere and never seem to find it. We attend seminars, lectures, retreats, and buy books, devices, herbs, and medicines and yet we still aren't satisfied (I did recognize the monetary incentive to writing such a book -- it is a billion dollar industry and I wanted a piece of it). Maybe we need to look more inside than outside.

We say we relax and yet we don't. When was the last time you turned off ALL of the electronic devices that command your attention and actually relaxed? No phones (cell or otherwise), faxes, pagers, PDAs, TVs, radios, computers, lights (I'll explain in a minute), video games, or appliances of any sort. If you listen right now you should be able to hear the various hums of those machines. Even if you conscientiously don't listen to them, that noise is always there. The lights in my office, the computers, the fridge, and the heater are only a few of the sounds that I can hear right now. And they are CONSTANTLY on. They are destroying our hearing. They are giving us headaches. And they make us agitated with their low level humming. Why do you automatically feel more peaceful in the forest? Might I suggest that the lack of electronic humming is a key to relaxation? Has our dependence on and use of technology helped us lose, or at least misplace, our happiness, maybe even our sanity?

Every so often we need to relax. And every so often we need to laugh. Many studies have shown that laughter is good for us. It makes us feel better by releasing endorphins into our brains and bloodstream. Laughing increases the amount of oxygen in our blood, which helps us think, breath, pump blood, digest, etc. And it is great exercise for the abdominals and diaphragm.

So why do we deprive ourselves of these things? Why do we stress ourselves out and then seek out "recreational" activities that make us even more tired as opposed to invigorated?

I say it is time to stand up and laugh! Don't just sit there reading this gibberish! Stand up, take a deep breath, and let a belly busting burst of laughter come forth! Arise and Be Happy!

And then tell a good joke to someone, because chances are, they are in need of a laugh, too.