Have You Laughed Today?
What makes you laugh? My wife, Dawn, loves YouTube videos of epic fails – you know, the home videos that catch funny situations, like the adult that tries jumping on their kids trampoline and breaks through it! She also loves America’s Funniest Home Videos. I can last a few minutes watching funny home videos, but then I am done. For me, it is funny movies like The Naked Gun or Airplane that really get me going. I love stupid humor!
When my youngest brother got married, he asked his two older brothers – me and my older brother, Lance – to be his Best Men. Bad idea! Our Best Men speech/comedy bit is still famous to this day in our family. I remember seeing my dad crying because he was laughing so hard! What really got him going was when we poked fun at Adam because he never had to wear hand-me-downs, like his older brothers. We told the story about one day when our mother came home from her best friend’s house, Char Sigman, with some hand-me-downs for us that no longer fit Char’s two older boys. This doesn’t sound like a big deal, except that the hand-me-downs were boy’s underwear! Can you believe that! What really made the story funny, was that Char and her husband, Bob, were sitting right near our parents, crying their eyes out! I will never forget that moment! Read what the Mayo Clinic Staff says about laughter:
The short-term benefits of laughter are:
- Enhances your intake of oxygen-rich air, stimulates your heart, lungs, and muscles, and increases the endorphins that are released by your brain.
- Fires up and then cools down your stress response, and it can increase and then decrease your heart rate and blood pressure. The result? A good, relaxed feeling.
- Stimulates circulation and aids muscle relaxation, both of which can help reduce some of the physical symptoms of stress.
The long-term benefits of laughter are:
- Negative thoughts manifest into chemical reactions that add stress into your system, decreasing your immunity. By contrast, positive thoughts release neuropeptides that fight stress and more-serious illnesses.
- Eases pain by causing the body to produce its own natural painkillers.
- Makes it easier to cope with difficult situations. It also helps you connect with other people.
- Can lessen depression and anxiety and may make you feel happier.
Laughter is needed more now than ever, so I ask you, have you laughed today?
Question: What do you call a guy with a rubber toe?
Answer: Roberto!
God Bless!
Jason Crane President/Owner
