Print   |    Bookmark

4/20/2009- by Tyler Wirth, Owner/Editor HumorInfusion.com
  
Laughter: Much Closer Than You Think!

I read “The Shack” just the other day, nearly in one sitting.  Words really haven’t come to me yet as to the power this book holds within its pages-I will be reading it again, soon.  All I can say is that every household should own a copy, and it should be highlighted, over and over.

I can’t give it away, mind you - it’s simply too awesome to not read yourself - but one of the most interesting insights about our society I took away from the book was that as a whole, men seem to glean fulfillment from their achievements while women find fulfillment in their relationships. 

So now you’re asking, “Uh, where’s the humor in this?”

What I gained from reading "The Shack" is a refreshing way to look at some of the relationships I have in my life.  Specifically, the relationship with my children is something at which I am taking a whole new look, especially with respect to how much they make me laugh-I need MORE! 

According to Dr. Mandan Kataria, “Children laugh over 300 times a day whereas adults laugh only 15 times. This is because children laugh unconditionally while adults do so only if there is a cause.”  If our children laugh this much (some more, some less), why wouldn’t one want to foster the closest relationship possible?  You’ll laugh more, feel younger, and I would argue live a healthier life.

Sadly though, our society spends too much time worrying about accomplishment.  We fuss over a project that’s due or spent too much time at the office.  So much of our time is spent working toward accomplishment of some task or project in our career, much of any work toward our relationships gets inadvertently sacrificed.  We’re so tired from working at the office, we say “not now, honey” or “maybe later” to our children when we come home, opting to flip on the television instead of sitting for even 5 minutes with our children to learn about their day (this is a great way to achieve a laugh or two, by the way).

The point here is that bonding with our children, who are great at making us laugh (especially in their earlier years), should always be placed higher in priority that trying to achieve that next accomplishment.  You’ll look back some day and be glad you did this versus spending 10 more minutes at the office working on some project.

I woke up this morning trying to think of some profound or earth-shattering topic about adding humor to your life.  I realized it is impossible to do so for a majority of the people a majority of the time.  Humor is much like a fingerprint - it’s different for everyone.  Granted, there are a lot of similarities, but no two senses of humor are the same.  I do know one universal way, however: whether it’s yours, your niece or nephew, or a grandchild, by working toward a closer relationship with a child; observing their playtime and laughter…sooner or later, it’ll catch up to you.

Humor Infusion
Recommended Reading:

Our goal at HumorInfusion.com is to help you reduce stress, improve your health, gain self-esteem, and increase your success. Join our newsletter to learn more about the many ways you can infuse more humor into your life and soon, these benefits will be yours.