Transformation is what happens to a drop of water when it is touched by the magic of sunlight. It becomes a rainbow. It is what happens to a seed when it starts the journey to become a mighty banyan tree. The banyan tree is not an improved seed, just as a butterfly is not an improved caterpillar or a rainbow an improved drop of water.
Each of us has many opportunities for transformation. Bringing laughter into the work place can install happiness in the system. The first laugh, can greet people as they enter the work place. The last laugh will recycle them and make them fit for a joyful family life.
Create laughter breaks. Laughter increases the levels of endorphins in our bodies, which are natural pain-killers. Norman Cousins, an American journalist who wrote ‘Anatomy of an Illness’, was suffering from an incurable, fatal disease of the spine. Laughter therapy helped him when no pain-killer could. Endorphins released by laughter may help in reducing the intensity of pain in those suffering from arthritis, spondylitis and muscular spasms of the body. Many women have also reported a reduced frequency of migraine and tension headaches.
He who laughs frequently is less likely to suffer from heart attacks. ‘A light answer turneth away wrath,’ says a proverb. An anger hijack can be stopped by a joke. Laughter is certainly the best medicine.
Action Plan for welcoming laughter into Your Life
• Watch films and television features that make you laugh.
• Be with cheerful people. Avoid the Cassandra’s and the Agony Uncles. Avoid toxic people.
• Read and share jokes on the internet.
• Smile. Do not smother a laugh.
• Play with babies, make them giggle.
• Buy balloons for toddlers.
• Listen to laughter in a school playground.