Laughter

One of the greatest gifts you can give somebody else, is laughter. Laughter lightens a room. Too much makes your stomach pleasantly ache. Too much takes the breath out of you, but in a way that makes you crave more laughter. But it is probably one of the greatest gifts you, or someone else, can give to you in a day.

The power of laughter recently came to my attention. On the bus one afternoon to Boston Fencing Club for sports, I was talking with some seventh graders about cats, doctors, and other random topics. I have to be honest, when I tell a funny story or joke, I can make some people laugh super easily. Other people, when I’m done telling the story, they continue looking at me, as if they’re expecting more from the story, but when they find it’s over, they look at me like I’m the lamest teller of “funny” stories. People say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I believe laughter is as well.

Yet last week, I have to admit, these two seventh graders and I were laughing so hard together, my stomach must have flipped 360 degrees three times. I had started the conversation about cats, I believe it was, and a chortle was the response. I built off of that preliminary chortle and then there was a string of giggles. I added on to that comment in the story, and then it appeared that there was laughter following every sentence I said. And to be honest, I realized how great it felt to be able to make someone else laugh.