Take Your Medicine
I laughed a lot today. I laugh every day, I would think, but today I pursued it with vigor. I did not wait for it to come to my doorstep as I normally do. I went after laughs and I got them on a recurring basis throughout the day. I realize that it may not be a normal thing to go out of your way to see how many times you could laugh. But that’s why I did it. I understand if it seems a little weird or strange to do such a thing, but why is that? I hope this chapter will allow us to reconsider the strangeness of attempting to be happier. Laughing is fun, and so today was a little more fun than yesterday or the day before. I have no way to prove that, but let’s call it a gut feeling. One thing I found interesting was how challenging it was to find things to laugh at in my natural daily routine. I also found that a little sad. I hate to admit it, but it is a fact. When I say I went out of my way to find laughs, I mean it in the most literal terms. I had to try hard to find things that were funny. I took up this challenge due to the realization that laughs were not as frequent in my daily routine as perhaps they should be.
I focused on many areas throughout the day that could provide me with these ever-important laughs. I listened more closely to people’s discussions. Not only their discussions with me, but with other people (aka eavesdropping). I heard some jokes that made me chuckle and some sarcasm that made me outright laugh. I watched people’s quirky habits from afar. This category likely provided the majority of today’s laughs. We are odd birds, us humans. Especially when it comes to decision-making. I saw numerous things throughout the day that made me laugh, and I do not know if this is good or bad. Some of the decisions I saw today would typically make me a little upset or disappointed, but today, I laughed, and it was a relief. I also looked for comedy within some of my work meetings, and it didn’t fail. I realized that laughing at some of the usual negatives associated with meetings made them far more bearable. It made them even a little interesting. I sought out humorous moments in my music and my podcasts with varying degrees of success. It was worth the effort for the few laughs I experienced that I wouldn’t have had yesterday. I even looked for opportunities to laugh at myself, and those came fast and furious. The more times it happened the more willing I was to go with it. That alone would have made this exertion worth it. In combination with everything else, it made it a stellar day.
When I was 36, I was serious in all facets of life, or at least the vast majority. I am sure those who know me well would agree, whether they know me from professional life, personal life, or through some other method. You could say this about me at 39, but not to the same degree. I chose to discuss an age much closer to 39 than I typically would in this book to display how quickly you can change your mindset, if you so desire. At that point in life, I considered it an imperative to put on a stoic face, day-in and day-out. I believed that acting seriously would lead to people taking me more seriously. I thought that was important, even one of the more important things in life. I went out of my way to appear overly thoughtful, to appear stone-faced. I did not partake in comedy nor did I seek out opportunities to laugh at or with others. And I definitely did not laugh at myself.
At 39, I am trying to separate myself from that antiquated thought process. Today was a good push in that direction. I am trying to more clearly and easily see the joy in things. I seek the comedic value of events and what that value contributes to the overall happiness in life. This sounds hyperbolic, but finding the comedy in daily events and circumstances is of utmost importance. I am starting, at 39, to realize how good life is, and I am beginning to see the close connection between laughter and enjoyment. I am also beginning to see the merits of some old clichés. Laughter is contagious. I would have sarcastically laughed this off in my past, but no more. I now see the benefits. That is why today happened and why I want more of this. I want to pass this along to others who surround me, or whom I surround. I now see it as important—something I will consider on a daily basis, at the very least.
The least we can all do is attempt to find the happiness that lies within us. We want to be happy, we truly do. How we define happiness may vary, but there is no denying that this is a key aspect and a key desire in life. I urge us to attempt what I did today. I urge us to dutifully seek out laughter and enjoyment. Do not wait for it to approach you on the street. That will happen less often as it should. There could be stretches of barren wastelands between true laughs if we wait. Go after it, search for it. It will not feel manufactured—quite the opposite. I am glad I created ways to laugh today. It changed my mind on the importance of doing such a thing. Laughter makes life lighter. It makes life more refreshing. Sometimes it can seem hard to come by, but I promise it is out there if we look for it. So go look. We will not regret it, not for one second. If we do, then the joke is on us.
-Houston Bailey (@BumpBailey)