Everywhere we look, we see faces that are serious, stressed, anxious or just plain sad. It’s a reflection of what our lives have become. Nature tells us that life is beautiful, joyful, a celebration. Inspite and despite of all that goes on, There is always a reason to smile. Especially if we are in gratitude for all that is. Life is meant to be simple, playful, not to be taken seriously. Why? Because everything is fleeting, passing. Nothing lasts. We can’t hang onto anything, not even our breath. And here we go on cribbing about who said or did what, how long ago. What all could go wrong in the future. Feelings of lack, hurt, expectations, fears etc. The list is endless. We cannot bring ourselves to smile let alone laugh, even if something funny happens. There is an infinite well of joy and laughter within us. We don’t even need a reason.

Laughter is meant to be a spontaneous part of our lives. It’s therapeutic, it’s healing, it’s contagious. As children we used to laugh till our stomachs hurt, without reason. Many a time while we were being scolded, out of nervousness we began laughing. We were sternly told that it was no laughing matter, but our fear dissolved and so often the grown ups would start smiling too.

Not only others, we take ourselves so seriously too. Try laughing at yourself when you are feeling caught up, unhappy, mired in other people’s doings. Once the ridiculousness of the situation hits you, the laughter dissolves it all. How does it matter? How does anything matter, and for how long, until we give our attention to it? And if nothing else works, take a look at your serious face in the mirror and laughter will spill over. Relax the body and mind and bring it into the present moment

where none of it exists anymore. We don’t have forever. We cannot postpone being joyful, for a future date, when everything is just right. We have only now. Laughter is like dancing and jumping in puddles. We get wet, dirty, muddy. But oh the joy of it, in that moment is so liberating, memorable and beautiful. We may be facing challenges, pain or difficult times. But even then, laughter is the best medicine. For everything. To make our spirits sing, to connect us to others without using words, to raise the vibration of the atmosphere around us. And it makes the Divine happy as nothing else does. If nothing else works, try laughter. It works, every time.