by Nellie Curtiss ….
My sister and I used to sit on top of the bedspread and challenge each other to a no-giggle game. One of us would start with a slow VW Bug sort of giggle engine, not too noticeable, not too loud. Then we’d move the snicker to second gear, and then third gear. By the fourth belly-full of humor gear, we would both be boisterously laughing.
I did the same thing with my friends. “She sells seashells by the seashore.” Connecting eye to eye, tears dribbled down our cheeks as we volleyed the verse back and forth until we laughed out loud. We’d look away and back again; and the rush of laughter would break the silence.
Laughter is a good medicine. And like Mary Poppins sang about sugar helping the medicine go down, laughter in spoonfuls or bowlfuls can relax the shoulders, stomach, and the brain. In the news, we’ve all seen the articles that point to lower blood pressure and lower stress when engaging such trickle-down laughter. I’ve been to seminars on laughter in the classroom and how laughter attached to learning is more memorable.
I know that if we can laugh together, we can be friends like Lucy and Ethel were in the 40’s and 50’s. From 1959 to 1972, was it Quick Draw McGraw and his side-kick Baba-Louie who taught me to laugh and repeat: “Ok, Baba Louie?” and the response: “S’allright”? Watching for Mr. Ed’s horsey snicker was a high point every episode with the famous talking horse.
In the 60s, humor changed as it changed our culture. We saw ourselves and laughed with Archie and Edith Bunker and Meathead and George Carlin on The Tonight Show. Two generations collided in front of our eyes in that box by Magnavox; and we learned to listen in new ways.
And recently a Facebook post caught us all laughing out loud. It sports Charlie a Border Collie mix with his stuffed buddy watching King Kong (2005). He ran at King Kong when he roared and sometimes the ape caught the canine off guard and sent him running back for safety. It made my stomach jiggle as I watched the surprise antics. https://fb.watch/qPoIGw6fSS/
As a writing teacher, I used humor to bring stories alive. Sometimes I would ask students “What is an unexpected moment in your life?” Then, I’d share one I had: I was having lunch with a friend at Hunan’s. I felt self-assured because I had dressed in a classy sweater outfit, skirt, and jacket. It was just my color –a soft pink. I excused myself for the ladies’ room; and as I walked, I noticed my skirt’s hem tapping below my knee and then on my calf. Then as I turned the knob and opened the door, I stepped out of my whole skirt as it fell to the floor! I was so startled I jumped into the bathroom, grabbed the skirt, shut the door, and hoped that no one had seen my demise. I was so thankful my slip stayed put. I laughed all the way to the table after that.
I look for humor every day and see it in the animals I have rescued. Sometimes I just look at Alphie or Harley (the fattest cats), and not recognizing me in a hat, they scatter like the Roadrunner on Saturday Mornings. Rooroo just looks at me to see if I’m going to feed her and when she senses I’m about to pick her up, she shuttles away.
When I took a male cat to Dr. Deal, he explained, “Neutering male cats often calms the fighting instinct – but then again, sometimes it doesn’t change a thing.” The latter is true of Tigger who sleeps on my lap or curls up beside my head on the bed. If he ventures out, he sometimes comes back with battle wounds that he licks for a while. Sometimes I just look at him and tell him, “I told you to play nice!”
The New York Times reported on a humor study: Besides reducing stress and relieving pain, belly-jiggling laughter increases endorphins and dopamine. “The muscle action triggers the brain chemicals known for their feel-good effect.”
So, go ahead and laugh at yourself, laugh at a joke, laugh with your children, and watch your pets for the next laughable shenanigan. Have a hoot and be a healthy too.
— Nelda Curtiss is a retired college educator and long-time local columnist. Reach her at columnsbynellie.com or email her at columnsbynellie@columnsbynellie
Cutline for picture: Charlie, the border collie mix, is grappling with King Kong (2005).
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