Laughter is inner jogging.” ~~Norman Cousins
This summer I’ve been laughing a lot, and it feels great.
A shared inside joke with a friend, the retelling of an old family story from childhood, a goofy look from someone on the street – sometimes that’s all it takes to start me laughing. When I’m with my sister and one of us starts laughing, we usually can’t stop until we’re crying because our stomachs hurt so much. We start laughing at the laughing, and it can go on for 15 minutes. Aren’t those the best laughs of all?!
Most of the times that I’ve laughed lately involve Lulu. That dog is too funny! I love watching her run around at full speed (and she’s FAST, let me tell you) chasing a ball, a toy, or sometimes nothing at all. It’s the best thing. Yesterday we went to an old friend’s house for his dog’s birthday. He has a pool and someone threw a ball into it by accident. Well, Lulu was right there to jump into the pool and try to retrieve it. I was worried for a split second, but then she started swimming as if she was Michael Phelps! It was the cutest thing, and great source of laughter for everyone at the party. Sometimes she just gets a funny look on her face and it’s enough to send me into giggles.
I definitely think there’s a correlation between all the laughing I’ve been doing with Lulu and the fact that my headaches that I was getting on a daily basis are now non-existent.
Need another reason to laugh? I recently read in WW Magazine that “a Vanderbilt University study found that a daily bout of laughter may help you burn an extra 10-40 calories a day…Researchers determined that you expend more energy (and therefore burn more calories) when you’re laughing than when you’re at rest.” Definitely a little added bonus.
What makes you laugh? When’s the last time you had a good belly-aching laugh? I’d love to read about it in the comments.
I love me some sister-laughs. There’s no one in the world who can make me laugh like my sister! I’m so glad you’re loving and enjoying Lulu and the laughter she brings to your life!