Last night, Emily and I had a good laugh. Emily and I always laugh when we are together. I was thinking about how a few nights ago I was sharing a bed with Claire and we had a good laugh, too.
If you know me at all, you know that I love to laugh. I’m good at laughing, too. I laugh loud, hard, and longer than most other people.
It is also one of my biggest insecurities. Over the course of my life, I’ve grown used to people looking at me weird at restaurants or snapping their heads to see what that noise is at the store. But it goes hand in hand with another one of my biggest insecurities, that I am obnoxious.
The following is a true story.
Last weekend, after a worship meeting, a bunch of people went to Denny’s. and I was sitting next to some funny ones, so I was laughing a lot. Not only that, but our table took up the majority of the seats in that area, so I felt safe and surrounded by people who can tolerate my laugh and I suspect might even find it endearing.
But then, this lady walked past, while I was mid-laugh. She looked right at me and told me that she’d had to listen to my laugh while she ate her dinner and that it was obnoxious. Somehow, by some miracle of God, I did not cry at all in response to that. Still haven’t. I did stop laughing for the evening; it shut me down.
Last night as Emily and I tried to stifle our laughs, and they kept coming up in the silence, I realized that the person who cannot see the joy in a good, whole-hearted, every ounce of you, “oh crap I can’t breathe and I might pee my pants” laugh is someone who knows what it is like to live with a broken heart. Laughing heals so much, it enables sins to be forgiven, bridges to be built.. and I hope to one day be remembered as a person who laughed.
I found some pictures from Facebook to prove how much I love to laugh. enjoy.
Stephanie I love your laugh… It always makes me smile!!!! <3
I love that you laugh. I laugh too. Laughter is good medicine, my dear friend. Don’t stop. 🙂
Oh Stephanie,
I love you and your laugh… it brings so much joy 🙂
Oh I love this!! I too am a person who LOVES laughing. If the work day has gone by without me having any opportunity to laugh, then it’s very likely I will take something my boss says that is only mildly funny and treat it as though it was the funniest joke in history. I also laugh when it’s totally inappropriate and then the fact that I can’t stop myself makes me laugh even more. 😀
And… I think my laugh is obnoxious too. But hey, at least we are enjoying life. Laugh your heart out, girl. 😉
i laugh pretty often too, and it’s loud as well. and i get stared at. it’s particularly embarrassing in movie theatres or really nice restaurants. but someone once told me something that i will always remember. and i want to tell you the same thing. “your laughter is medicine.”
Laughter is awesome! Basically, if you can make me laugh then I will love you forever, because there are way too many boring/serious/depressing/sad people in the world. And I don’t want to be one of them. If everyone laughed like 10 times a day the world would be a way better place to live. I think we should start a laughter campaign.
Laughter is truly the best medicine! 🙂