Laughter is the language of the soul.
-
Pablo Neruda
On a sliding scale of difficulty, my past few weeks have been up there. I say “sliding scale” because, of course, that’s what it is.
Life-struggles are relative; none easier or harder necessarily; they are personal, unique, and connected to our stories, our realities, our awareness, our capacity. All that considered, were I to give them a ranking between 1 and 10, I’d be at about a 7. But in the midst, I’ve been acutely conscious of how often I have laughed.
I have laughed at myself.
I have laughed with others.
I have laughed in spite of myself.
I have laughed so hard I’ve had tears running down my face.
And I have laughed through my tears.
Laughter is a sign. A marker. A navigational tool.
It (re)connects me to the present and reminds me that appearances and circumstances can be deceiving; that despite how things seem, hope and love abide.
When I laugh, no matter how tough things look or feel, I know I am OK; that I can persevere, survive, and even thrive. I may not know how, when, or at what cost, but at least for those gracious moments, I stop doubting.
And in such, for me, laughter and faith are interchangeable.
- More powerful than my doubt, my despair, my sadness, my fear – even if only for those few gracious moments.
- No need to understand or dissect it, it just appears – and encourages, lifts, lightens.
- Not dependent on me – a spontaneous and nearly autonomic response to something mysterious, bigger, higher.
I’m not advocating that we laugh at our troubles, that they are whimsical or silly or comical. I am saying that it is in the darkest and most unlikely of places that faith bursts forth – unbidden and unexpected – like a giggle that escapes our lips when we least expect it; a laugh (and faith) so deep and so healing that we cannot help but know hope.
Trials, tribulations, difficulties and struggles hardly wane. And at least in my experience, they seem a given in this life. But the fact that somehow, even in the midst, laughter can and does occur, is what enables my faith.
Humor is, in fact, a prelude to faith; and laughter is the beginning of prayer. – Reinhold Niebuhr
Ronna, it is so true. Laughter lightens the soul. Even on my hardest days, one of the three kids makes me laugh at least once. And if even for only a moment, I feel so much better.
It makes all the difference, doesn’t it? Often I sit back, after laughing so hard I’m almost crying, and just breathe in the awareness of how grateful I am for whatever/whoever enabled that gift. Restores me – and my hope.