I have among my facebook friend's a man that does therapeutic clowning, and has been to Africa, clowning with Patch Adams. The following comment on my part started a conversation about laughter as healing.
I have a rare disease that is considered the worst neuropathic pain known to man, and it often results in agonizing facial pain. I will start to laugh, and will rather loudly say through the laughter, " Guys knock it off. It hurts to laugh!" What do they often do? They get sillier, and I get to laughing harder. My friends know that chronic pain is depressing, so they go to great lengths to help keep my spirits up. Thank-goodness I have friends with insane senses of humor like mine.
For me a life without laughter is scary, though pain wise I know I will pay a price for it. I often fight the feeling my life has become useless since TN relapse #3. I fight the depression as best as I know how, and often it means laughing, often at stupid things. I chuckle at all the noise my pet rat makes when she lines her cage, after the bedding is changed. She will go to town ripping up paper to line her box. Maybe you have to be here to hear it, but to me it is funny.
I love to mess with the engineer of the steam locomotive in my profile picture here. He likes everyone to think he is mean, but he really is a nice guy. When he came into the break room, everyone was sheepish because he was mad, and justifiably so. I figured he was not mad at me, so I wished him a very loud, "Merry Christmas Doyle!" His BAH HUMBUG in response, got me to laughing, and it broke the tension, and then joking about why steam locomotives do not wear skirts. started. Don't ask. ;) Some of the prettiest steam locomotives ever made do have skirts, but that is another story for another day.
I am still chuckling over the fact I was given a make your own zombie gingerbread men kit for Christmas. I promise I will post pictures when they are done.
For me laughter is like a life line. I figure if I can find one thing a day to laugh about, for that day I can hold on.
