Lighten Up

Last night I had a conversation with an old friend who said to me, "you're not the same person you used to be." He reminded me that I used to be funny. I am still funny, I crack myself up daily, but after a little reflection I realized he was right. I hardly ever laugh anymore. I've become very serious. I'm aware of the reasons why I've become so serious, because life became really serious. The economy has caused many people, including myself, to lose their jobs, some have lost their homes. This country has been at war for 10 years. I could go on, but I already have in previous posts. The last two years have been very trying for me on many levels, and I think I became so focused on survival that I forgot that laughter is a key tool for survival.

In the last couple of years, I have been hurt by loved ones, trampled by a biased system, and caught up in circumstances beyond my control. All of these things have led me to my journey today, my trod to the throne. I was allowing others to treat me like a peasant, though I know I am a queen. So I am grateful for the experiences. I am constantly learning lessons, and I willingly share them with you, in hopes that you learn from mine and not have to go through your own. My lesson today is that I have to lighten up. I carry this burden around like I'm Shu (Egyptian god who held up the sky-the equivalent to Greek mythology's Atlas), only the sky won't fall if I put it down for a bit.


We've all heard the saying, 'laughter is the best medicine.' I don't know the science behind it, or if there is science behind it, but I've found it to be true. A few weeks ago, I started laughing (at one of my own jokes) and I couldn't stop. Everything then became so funny that tears were pouring out of my eyes, and I could hardly catch my breath. This went on for at least 10 minutes. Once the giggle fairy had left, I felt so good. It was like how I feel after a cleanse, light and relaxed, like a weight had been lifted. I guess laughter is like a cleanse. Maybe when we laugh, we release all of the worries, heartache, and pain that become toxins in our spirits. The harder we laugh, the more we release. Milton Berle once said, "Laughter is an instant vacation." It does help one get away from the minutia of life.


My humor has always gone over most people's heads anyway. I would always know if someone would be my close friend if they got my jokes. I can be dry and sardonic, and sometimes people can't tell if I'm joking. But my brother, he's just silly. I still think he's one of the funniest people I know, but even he has gotten a bit serious. If we can't find the humor in life, even in it's tragedies, we will have a difficult time surviving. Bob Newhart said of laughter, "Laughter gives us distance.  It allows us to step back from an event, deal with it and then move on." Maybe this is the science behind it. I don't know, but I do know that life is to be enjoyed. There is a reason why my Father, the Mighty King, sent that old friend to me. He is not someone I have spoken with very much in a long while, but he is one who really knew the funny light hearted side of this queen. So today, I am focused on laughing, making others laugh, and enjoying this beautiful life I have been blessed with. If you speak with me today, make me laugh. (Thanks Eddie)


When people are laughing, they're generally not killing each other. ~Alan Alda



I've always thought that a big laugh is a really loud noise from the soul saying, "Ain't that the truth." ~Quincy Jones


A good time to laugh is any time you can. ~Linda Ellerbee






Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face. ~Victor Hugo


Perhaps I know best why it is man alone who laughs; he alone suffers so deeply that he had to invent laughter. ~Friedrich Nietzsche