When I got up this morning there was a text message waiting for me from my friend Emily. When I opened it up and saw her drawing, I literally laughed out loud.
It felt good to laugh first thing in the morning. And it felt good to laugh again when I showed Jon her drawing later in the day. I laughed at Mr Wrinkle again when I put it on my blog. And I’m smiling now as I write this.
Maybe you have to know who Mr Wrinkles is to get the joke, or maybe the silly words work even if you don’t.
But I’ll tell you so you can laugh too if you haven’t yet.
Mr Wrinkles is a succulent, an ice plant to be more specific. Emily gave me a cutting from hers a couple of years ago. The plant has thick chunky “leaves” and unlike many other succulents, if you don’t water it regularly it gets wrinkly. That’s why Emily and her daughter named their ice plant “Mr Wrinkles.” Now I think of my ice plant as Mr Wrinkles too.
Mr Wrinkles needs a Drinkles is silly is and fun and kinda cute. I can’t help wondering how he’s going to pick up that glass to get a drinkle.
When I thanked Emily for the much needed laugh this morning I thought once again of the goddess Baubo. She’s the one that made Demeter laugh when she lifted up her skirt and told dirty jokes. Demeter who was mourning her daughter Persephone laughed so hard she came out of her depression. The she was able to find Persephone, who was stuck in the underworld, and help her escape.
Most nights, before we go to bed, Jon and I watch something funny. Abbott Elementary, or a repeat of Thirty Rock, or Schitt’s Creek.
We don’t laugh as raucously as Demeter did, but these small doses of laugher feel like taking vitamins to me.
According to the Mayo Clinic laughing increases our oxygen, stimulates the heart, lungs and muscles and releases endorphins. It also relieves tension and stress.
Seeing Mr Wrinkles this morning reminded me of the importance of laughing.
Not because some study says so, but because it made me feel good when I laughed. It’s easy for me to be serious, but it take some effort for me to laugh, especially lately.
I’d like to make laughing a more regular part of my life. I bet, like most things, it’s just practice. I’ll start with smiling, and thinking of Mr Wrinkles, maybe watch some funny movies.
And maybe, if I keep at it, someday I’ll grow into my own cackle and be able to laugh as much as the Dalai Lama.
Nothing better than laughing, especially early in the morning. I had a laugh this morning when reading Jon’s blog. He was writing about food for the pantry and asked for donations for cans of sliced parrots. I lol as they say. Later on he said sliced carrots so I got it.
Spell check is a great source of laughter Linda! :)
A yoga class I attend does 1 minute of laughter yoga at the beginning of the class. It’s fun, and supposedly strengthens your immune response and reduces stres.
Ah, that sounds like a wonderful way to start and end a class Ardene!