What's in Laughter?

Do you laugh? I mean really bust a gut on a funny? Let me just say, laughter is a must in this life we lead! It can’t be all serious … it just can’t. You know the drill of life with blood cancer, they become too long to run through, but it’s a lot to cope with. I think it mandatory for your medical team to integrate laughter with treatment. I know that may sound odd, as we know there’s nothing funny about what we have to deal with. So with that statement said, why is it we feel good when laughter does come into our midst?

Laughter to the rescue

Usually, when it’s time to pick movie night, I’ll spurt out “Oh, I need something funny today.” Each day is not always the most pleasant, so you have to mix it up by finding those joys that will make you feel better. I remember my best friend, Rosetta, would make me laugh when I was feeling horrible. She would make jokes or go down the memory lane of when we were in junior high school or what have you. I felt good after those talks and laughs.

Laughing makes you feel good, usually by:

• Taking you out of what you may be dealing with for the moment
• Bringing attention to something else other than what you’re going through
• Lessens the tension
• Relaxes your mind, body, and soul

Quite honestly, there have been moments I would be hunched over cracking up and be quite aware in the moment that I’m able to laugh despite myeloma. I tell you it feels good, and it’s a reminder that you can still live and have some fun despite cancer.

Why a sense of humor can help us blood cancer patients

Look, with this life of ours, we need a sense of humor to deal with the craziness that this blood cancer thing presents! I look at multiple myeloma and say, “Really, so we’re doing this?!" Do you know that saying that sometimes makes me laugh in order to keep from crying? Well, think of it in this way... dwelling on the negative all the time just brings about more misery and possibly leads to you becoming miserable. We need to laugh, laugh, laugh, laugh, LAUGH, LAUGH, LAUGH!!

Here are some of my considerations to lighten up, even for just a little bit:

• Try and laugh every day, whether that means putting on that program that will bring you some humor or doing something else that brings you joy.
• Don’t dwell on the negative. Yes, this is your life right now, but so are better things. Reflect on the better things.
• Try to surround yourself with humor. Now is the time to have that friend with the corny but laughable jokes in your corner.

What makes you laugh?

Now, to end this off, can you think of 2 movies that made you fall over in the aisle, literally? Share in the comments below! Here are my two:

Something About Mary (Ben Stiller and Cameron Diaz) made me literally fall out my seat snorting the first time I saw this in the theater.

It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963 version please!) is a well worth TCM gem.

Go on, laugh!

The time to fight is now, with integrity, grace, hope, and a smile….when you feel like it