Just in case you needed more convincing... this is about laughing - out loud...
Bad photo, but who cares?
When the World Cup was on the go, I read something about a journalist who landed in South Africa. He said what struck him the most was the laughter he heard at the airport, obviously something he wasn't accustomed to. South Africans are a peculiar lot, but one thing we do is laugh and usually out loud. I think it's because we're usually to be found out of doors, so conversations get spoken loudly across braais (bbq's) and laughter is something practised at the same volume.
Yes, we are loud, I think, but most of all, we know how to laugh, especially at ourselves and when something is funny, we aren't shy to let the world know. Yes, yes, our laughter may be quite loud and rumbustious, but that's us.
Laughter is contagious. I saw a little booklet the other day and one of the notes in it said: "A felicidade é contagiosa: cerque-se de rostos felizes." Happiness is contagious: surround yourself with happy faces.
Sometimes, I forget to laugh. I forget that laughter feels good. A good belly laugh heals so many ills. It occurred to me that we don't hear much laughter here at all, loud or soft. They smile, they chuckle, and laugh softly. It isn't that laugh that forces itself up from deep in your belly, stretching your mouth and face, squeezing your eyes shut and letting the tears roll. Ah... to laugh is good!
What makes you belly laugh?
Lots of my past conversations with you do. :)
ReplyDeleteYesterday I had a great belly laugh. Christi was taking our photos and we were sitting on the ground, cross-legged. Britley sat down in Jeremy's lap and I said, "Ooh! Take a pic of this, it's so cute!" Jeremy moved faster than I've seen him move in a while and yelled, "NO! Taking a pic of her sitting in my lap is just .... wrong!" I looked at him funny and then thought of those emails that go around that feature, um, unfortunate positioning of people and pets in photographs. I started to think about it more and I totally lost it. I was laughing so hard I couldn't stop and then it was one of those situations where I found myself giggling throughout the day, every time I thought of a picture of Jeremy and Britley being in one of those emails. :)
hahaha! I can SO picture that! Poor Jeremy!
ReplyDeleteYou know, I absolutely don't remember what made me blog this today. I know I was laughing at something and it triggered the thought, but beyond that, I have absolutely no clue. I think we were laughing at something about some South Africans. Then I remembered that Tat was talking about people commenting on her loud laugh. I have a quiet voice, but when I laugh, it's loud. Strange that. Jurgis has a totally raucous laugh (the kind that makes heads turn in a quiet theatre).
Haha. I'm like that, too. Very loud, explosive laugh that turns heads. hehe.
ReplyDeleteThe first time I was exposed to that laugh was at a Rolf Harris concert when I was in boarding school. There we were... a bunch of supposed-to-be prim girls accompanied by hostel matrons. I'd gotten Jurgis a ticket too. He laughed... I was mortified... every head turned in unison to see what this being was that laughed so hard. In fairness, the show was hilarious!
ReplyDeletelaughing is so good for us too..so neccessary...helps us through all kinds of stressful situations!!
ReplyDeleteIt really is good medicine. You two look great together laughing. You're so much alike.
ReplyDeleteI remember a comedy show I went to with friends a while back...the comic had some one-liners going with a guy in the audience. He ended up ditching his whole regime and just ad libbed. He was falling down laughing himself and the audience was just dying. I had sore cheek muscles the next day.
Laughter is indeed very good and I love the photo :)
ReplyDeleteI never forget the first time I heard my oldest son laugh and laugh & I can't figure out just why but I loved it..We were throwing rocks in a lake. He was about a year or so. I knew he laughed before that but the giggling that day was so funny that my husband and I couldn't help laugh as well. Each time one of us or he would throw a rock in the water and water splashed up he giggled and giggled. Now he is grown with children of his own and I love to hear his youngest son Caleb when he gets the giggles. Nice blog , thanks
Good Morning ! I just love your blog this morning. Laughing is the best medicine and you guys got me laughing and it is only just on 7am. Us South Africans can indeed laugh and laugh loud and laugh at ourselves. I remember visiting the family in Denmark in 2008 and my sister constantly shushing me: " you are too loud" Who cares, I was having fun. But they are so much more serious. You cannot strike up a conversation with a stranger in the post office or the bank , you do not say hello or start chatting in the grocery store in line. The cashier don't say hello or perish the thought , smile at you. You keep to yourself, don't look at other people or smile at anyone. Boring ! Good Old SA any day where you can give a belly laugh in a shop and have others join in. You can wave at the guy in the car next to you at the robot, he is listening to the same radio station as you and crying with laughter at the last joke. Laughter is contagious and if you can laugh at yourself, in my opinion you are then a great human. Have a wonderful day and thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteGood blog, Tint!
ReplyDeleteFunny situation makes me laugh. And also good jokes.
Oh, that's so me! I love to laugh ... and loud!! My mom always told me a lady never laughs out loud in public, but I can't help myself ... I have to! So maybe I'm just not a lady ...
ReplyDeleteMy best friend is from Aruba and she's loud! Together we are dangerous ...LOL
We always wonder how long our pastor will let us sit together in church. We are known to disrupt the service with our laughter. But up till now he still agrees and even likes it ...
At school I know some colleagues who don't like it when I laugh out loud. A woman of my age shouldn't do that, they say. Hmmm ... that makes me laugh ... out loud, as you can imagine.
And a great photo of you and Tat! It makes me laugh too ... (oh dear, there I go again :D)
They say laughter is the best medicine. It releases things...endorphins? Whatever, it's healthy. I don't laugh much. I don't smile all that much. Something I have to work on huh?
ReplyDeleteStrange things make me laugh. Something will just hit me funny and I laugh - usually to myself off and on for a day or so.
Friday it was Jason at work. It was quiet. No phones ringing, nothing going on when suddenly from his office I hear 'YOU PIECE OF SHIT". He was talking to his computer and that hit me funny. Like the computer cared? And I laughed every time I thought of it. By the end of the day I'm sure they thought I was insane.
Heather, so right... if it weren't for laughter, we'd have been sunk years ago.
ReplyDeleteJules, we do look alike (poor girl) : ) I think the sore of sore laughing cheeks is one of those good 'sores' of life.
Cheryl, thanks : ) I love the sound of a child's laughter. Very contagious!
Marianne, thanks!! I was glad you'd confirmed that for me. It's true, South Africans love to laugh and loudly... and we're not shy to share that with total strangers.
Amalie, laughing is good : )
Riete, it's one of the things I very much appreciate about you... you know how to laugh at life : ) And lady? Psh... who cares about being a lady if you can laugh. I like your pastor. He's a man of good sense. Tat and I were trying to share a chair and it wasn't working. She was falling off... very inelegantly. It was hilarious!
Tori : )
Kat, I don't much care what it releases. I think, actually, that it releases all kinds of misery demons... lets them go. I often laugh at the way other people react to something (like the computer you mentioned). Heck, I often laugh at the way *I* react to inanimate objects (and animate objects too).
*laugh* Kat, the thought of you laughing at that makes ME laugh. But you know full well what I'm going to say here. You don't laugh much because you have no sense of humor. *sigh*
ReplyDeleteI waited for someone to bring that up.... It's a given. She has absolutely no sense of humour! Me? My sense of humour is restricted to the weird.
ReplyDeleteHehe. Must be why we get along. ;)
ReplyDeleteso I'm sitting here laughing. HAHAHA
ReplyDeleteNice pic of you two there. The smiles are very contagious.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I too forget to laugh, and forget to look for the bright side of the thing. But, well, that is just how things are.
I used to laugh really loud when I was a kiddo. But as I started school right before the collapse of Soviet regime in Lithuania and teaching methods even after that for quite a long period stayed pretty much the same, it only took a couple of years and a teacher whom I disliked (somehow I think she shared same sentiment about me) back in primary school made me lose that ability to laugh out loud. Well, nowadays sometimes I do laugh out loud, but only in a friendly environment of friends and family. Would LOVE to be more spontaneous on the matter of laughing out loud in public, but... well maybe in another life
LOL = great stress relief ! it is important to really LOL as often as possible... laughter is good for the soul.
ReplyDeleteAsta, sometimes life seems to conspire to prevent us laughing. I had to learn to laugh... luckily I had a good teacher, my daughter. It's a skill well worth learning and practising : )
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, Annette!
I need to bust out a laugh, and soon. :( Not much makes me laugh that way right now, Tint, and it seems as if it were for ever ago!
ReplyDeleteI love this blog. *happy sigh
ReplyDeleteGreat picture, great sentiments. Laughing and making people laugh is one of my favorite things to do.
ReplyDelete