Having a Sense of Humour

I had to think twice about this entry - but have decided to go for it regardless. My 15 1/2 old dog, Simba went into renal failure last week and has been admitted to the vet (where she has been all weekend)... so talking about being happy is tinged with a bit of sadness this entry - but I guess it’s times like this, where the possession of a sense of humour is going to come in handy...

I want to dedicate this blog to my sister who helped me remember this week how good it is to laugh…

Here are some lessons that having a sense of humour has taught me.

LESSON ONE - Not everyone thinks you are funny.
I am half Samoan and I believe I am genetically geared to be hilarious. I have never met one Samoan that is not funny, and therefore have come to the conclusion that 90% (the drop by 10% to cover my lack of real data) of Samoans are funny! The only trouble is that not everyone thinks I am funny. Potentially this can break bridges and relationships before they even start. So lesson one is simple - having a sense of humour (either real or imagined ;-)) comes with a responsibility to tailor it to the people around you, and to only bring out the 'big guns (laugh out loud stories)' with people that really know, love and 'get' you.

LESSON TWO - The Act of Smiling ≠ Face & Chin Lift :-)
I remember when my sister and I were younger, one of us had read an article about achieving the same results as you would from a chin and face lift without surgery but by doing a smiling exercise. It started with placing your hands on your thighs, and stretching your necks up and slightly forward stretching your neck muscles. Make the biggest smile (teeth bearing) at the same time while pointing your chin slightly forward. You had to do this exercise then hold it for ten or so seconds and repeat it ten or so times every day..... We tried once, during a tea break in a job we had - doing these exercises which always ended up in fits of laughter watching the people going by who couldn't help but have repeat glances to make sure we were really doing what they thought we were doing....Lesson Two: Growing old is going to happen - get over it!! ;-)

LESSON THREE - Laughing tears are healing
Recently my sister and I spent part of a rare afternoon together. While we were returning back to work - she started recalling her son's speech and that's where the laughter tears began. Don't get me wrong - it would have been a great talk but that afternoon it turned into waves of side-splitting laughing which ended in tears of laughter. When I try and recall what was actually funny - I can't and have a sneaky suspicion it wasn't really funny - but it doesn't matter. In those beautiful precious moments - nothing else mattered, there was no other reality besides two sisters sharing laughter tears and it was healing. It transcended the stresses of our lives - hers as a working single mother, and mine as the grieving owner of a dying dog - totally unrelated events yet healed in those blissful moments.

LESSON FOUR - Laughter is the best medicine

I remember watching the movie Patch Adams where Robin Williams played the main character who used laughter as medicine alongside other sources. I remember being touched by Dr Adam's approach to the treatment of his patients. It was great to see that according to the official Gesundheit Institute website http://patchadams.org/ that a building dedicated to the real Patch Adam’s kind of work has started. The model of this organisation is organised around five principles one of which is that care is infused with fun and play. Truly inspirational.

LESSON FIVE - Never Underestimate a Smile

The Director of a show that I was in at highschool taught us that there were three types of smiles when performing that I have never forgotten. Smile one, was a normal smile with lips curled and mouth closed. Smile two (as pictured) was smile one with your lips opened to show some teeth. Smile three was a full on smile with your mouth slightly open, and a look of happiness and enjoyment to be wherever we were. Smiling on demand is not easy, especially while singing or dancing and especially when you weren't happy yourself but the impact of that simple act on the audience was immeasurable. I remember starting with a smile one and ending with smile two just by watching the reactions of the children in the front rows, or smiling because I wanted to while looking out and seeing people I cared about.... You can never underestimate the power of the smile - never - it is contagious and priceless.

So I head into another week, knowing that my beloved dog will not make it to the end of the month – and the song that comes to mind offer up words that I'm going to rely on.. I leave them with you..

Smile though your heart is aching

Smile, even though it's breaking

When there are clouds in the sky

You'll get by...If you smile

With your fear and sorrow

Smile and maybe tomorrow
You'll find that life is still worthwhile if you'll just...

Light up your face with gladness
Hide every trace of sadness
Although a tear may be ever so near
That's the time you must keep on trying
Smile, what's the use of crying
You'll find that life is still worthwhile
If you'll just...smile

Yours in friendship,

Mxo