Laughter – Week 5

I listened to people fighting today at the gas station. I turned to watch them (what else are you going to do while standing at a gas pump?) and in the middle of yelling one of them began to walk towards the other
and tripped over the gas pump hose.

He wasn’t hurt, but they both looked at each other and burst out laughing. That moment of laughter made everything okay. Once the laughter subsided, one of them said, “Sorry, buddy, it’s really no big deal.”

I don’t know what they were discussing but I knew, in that instant,   that I want to spend more time in my year of change making people laugh. This world takes itself all too seriously. And laughter is contagious. For example, there’s is no greater sound than that of a child laughing. Just click on the link below watch this video and see if you can keep yourself from smiling while you watch it:

Baby Laughing

Laughter is the sound of joy. Steve Jobs said that once you realize you are dying you can actually live freely . . . because you realize life isn’t as serious as you thought. If I have a choice between coming up with the best business process in the world or making people laugh, I’ll make them laugh every time. Just looking at the picture above of my daughter and her friend Sammy laughing makes me smile. We need more smiles.

I told someone once that for me, laughter trumps everything else. If I can make somebody laugh, then I’m happy. I’m going to remember that in my year of change.