Finding Ninee » Sharing our parenting and special needs stories with heart and humor.

The Best Laughter

The best laughter is when you’re curled into it, unable to breathe. You can’t stop, even when you try.

Maybe you’re in church, or at a work meeting. You’re not supposed to be laughing which makes laughing even more desirable.

Especially if somebody of authority gives you The Look.

You stop laughing. You’re not disrespectful, after getting the look, and all.

Calm your breathing.

You’re in control.

Your laughter was inappropriate.

Contain the next burst with a fake cough.

Because you’re laughing and can not help it.

You tell yourself “this is NOT that funny,” which somehow just makes it all that much more funny.

Start laughing all over again.

I love feeling the best laughter. So much.

laugh life is good

I want more of it. More laughter.

For me.

For my son.

For all of us.

Maybe, if we all laughed more often, the world would feel less broken.

Crap.

Think about the brokenness of the world.

Cry a little.

Remind yourself that this is about laughter, not crying.

Call yourself a dumb baby.

Tell yourself you’d be so sad to hear your son call himself a dumb baby. Take your advice and stop calling yourself a dumb baby. It’s okay to cry over stuff that’s sad.

But this is a blog post about the best laughter. It’s not supposed to be about crying or calling yourself a dumb baby.

Remind yourself that this is about the best laughter.

Laughter that heals.

Laughter that bonds.

Laughter that melts the ickiness of the world away.

There’s no ickiness in belly laughs.

There’s only joy in laughter.

Hope.

Abandon.

I want more of the best laughter.

For me.

For my son.

For all of us.

When my husband and I were newly dating, we ate take-out in front of the TV one night. Somehow, we landed on a show about beavers.

It was interesting enough, until there were two beavers acting a weird. “What are they doing?” I asked. “Do beavers fight?”

“I have no idea,” he said. The beavers looked angry. A little scary, even.

We watched.

Ate.

Watched.

“Ohhhhhh….” I said, just as he started to laugh.

We realized at the same time exactly what those beavers were doing and I don’t know if it’s because he and I were new, or if seeing beavers have sex over take-out is hilarious enough in itself, but I ended up unable to keep myself on the couch with the holding-my-stomach, catching-my-breath laughs.

I want that best laughter more.

For me.

For my son.

For all of us.

The moral of tonight’s story? When the ickiness of the world is overwhelming, and people are cruel to one another (which they are and will be and always have been), let’s flick off the news channel, and find a show about beavers.

Maybe, just maybe, you’ll reach for the remote because beavers fighting is too much on top of all the stuff about guns and kids and kids with guns and instead, you’ll keep the channel where it is and laugh until you fall on the floor when you realize the beavers are in love.

Maybe, just maybe, you’ll reach for your loves, and decide to play a game that makes you laugh. Maybe, even, you’ll let your son stay up, and decide to laugh in the dark with him.

No matter what though, let’s each decide to laugh more now, and tomorrow, and every tomorrow.

***

This was a Finish the Sentence Friday post, in its new format, where this week is a five-minute stream of consciousness post with the prompt of “Laughter.” All night long, I thought “How hard can this be? It’s only 5 minutes!” and then found it really hard.

I cried a little bit, about how little I’ve laughed the best laughs recently. I had nothing to say because I’m stressed out about the fact we’re likely moving to Colorado this summer, and I don’t know how I feel about that, and I don’t feel like laughing. I then went to the dark places of whether we’re giving our son enough laughs, whether I’m giving myself enough… all that.

So, while it was supposed to be a 5-minute thing, I, instead read some funny posts that made me feel like laughing. Like this New Yorker one that’s brilliant, and also this one that’s totally stupid but made me laugh without abandon when I wrote it. OMG I knew nothing about blogging back then. I sometimes wish I still only wrote what made me laugh or cry.

Whoah.

Anyway, this is a Finish the Sentence Friday post, held with my fabulous, amazing co-host Kenya Johnson of Sporadically Yours.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

 Loading InLinkz ...


  • Kenya G. Johnson - I will seriously be sad if you’re not on the east coast anymore and I had the chance to meet you IRL and I blew it. Dang that makes ME sad after I did laugh about the Beavers having sex and you were wondering if they fight. LOL!

    But waaaaaah!

    The drawing up there is seriously how my mother looked at me from the choir stand in church on a Sunday that I’d brought one of my friends and then we had a fake cough about one thing or another. The fake cough is THE WORST when you’re in a place that you’re not supposed to laugh in.

    Waaaaaah COLORADO!!!!March 15, 2018 – 10:09 pmReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - I’ll seriously be sad about it too. Stupid government. I mean they train him for like 30+ years to do one thing, then… OMG. I’ll have to text you. It’s so weird and confusing. Anyway. I know. I’m with the WAAAAHHHHH too. Totally. And to your mom looking at you like that. Have we ALL had that look? LOL. The fake cough. It’s the worst and the best because I wish I had to do it every day, you know?March 15, 2018 – 11:09 pmReplyCancel

  • Don - Beavers. Lol. I haven’t laughed like that in a long time. Not sure if it’s because I’m an adult or what, but it sucks.March 15, 2018 – 10:19 pmReplyCancel

  • Lizzi - I’d laugh, but you might give me The Look…

    I laughed the best laugh recently, but not as hard as my Sis (I know, she said hard) – we were in a restaurant and I told a funny story about myself.

    We got given The Look. We laughed anyway.March 16, 2018 – 4:50 amReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - LOL to the look. I wouldn’t give it to you if you laughed at ME unless you know, you were laughing AT me. I love you had this recently with your sister. Those are the very best laughs. The ones you can’t stop.March 16, 2018 – 9:29 pmReplyCancel

  • Dana - It’s even more important to laugh when we don’t feel like laughing. Right? And envisioning you flipping channels to watch beavers get busy made me laugh, probably more than it should.

    I just messaged you, because Colorado.March 16, 2018 – 5:47 pmReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - LOL about switching channels for beavers. Wait, I didn’t mean it like you know, *that.* Obvi. And yeah, laughing when we don’t feel like it… it’s therapy and preservation and all of the things.March 16, 2018 – 9:31 pmReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - PS got your message. Replied. SOON. I’m thinking next friday unless Tux gets out early for spring break??? Will IM again.March 16, 2018 – 9:31 pmReplyCancel

  • Emily - That New Yorker piece IS perfection! I love laughing and happened to be out last night with two girlfriends and I laughed so hard and loud that at one point, tears were streaming. I love that kind of laughter and it just doesn’t happen often enough! But, I suppose if we laughed like that all the time, we wouldn’t enjoy it as much or at least I’m going with that rationale…March 16, 2018 – 5:50 pmReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - Isn’t it awesome? I love it so much and have read it each time I need a boost over the past couple of years. It’s SO good! I wish it happened more (laughter like that, I mean) but maybe you’re right and if we got it every day? It wouldn’t be so special (although I think I’d like it every day).March 16, 2018 – 9:33 pmReplyCancel

  • Linda Atwell - I want more laughter too. It feels so dang good to laugh so hard it hurts. When it happens, I think I feel the most alive. Your story about the beavers cracks me up. I think it is those inappropriate situations that create the most laughter.
    On a different note: We are headed to the Caribbean tomorrow for 11 days!!! Yippee. I’m hoping for some belly laughs on this vacay.March 16, 2018 – 6:38 pmReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - OMG weren’t you in Mexico like two days ago? I’m jealous! I think I feel the most alive laughing like that too. Or crying like that. It’s the extremes, I think. Have so much fun (and a billion belly laughs) in the Caribbean for 11 days!March 16, 2018 – 9:34 pmReplyCancel

  • Kerry - Where would I be, without times where laughter shook me and my family? We do it often enough, thankfully, but it’s getting more and more common for me to see what’s happening in the world and yearn for a laughter workout, on demand, because all that shaking and I feel it must burn some calories at least. I hope you laugh a lot more Kristi and good luck, if the move does indeed happen for you and your family.March 19, 2018 – 2:23 amReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - Oh the “Laughter workout” description. On demand, even. YES. I want that. I want that more for all of us and never thought about what a workout it is. I hope you laugh a lot more too, my friend. That we all do. And thank you to the good luck if we move. I’ll keep you posted for sure.March 21, 2018 – 12:01 amReplyCancel

  • Tamara - I remember the first time I laughed at one of your posts. It was probably the first post of yours I ever read and you drew funny stick figures of yourself from back in the 80’s. True love since!
    We need all the good laughter back.March 19, 2018 – 9:08 pmReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - You do? That’s really sweet. I think I used to be more funny. I should re-explore that. The stupid drawings and all that. Thanks, Love! <3March 21, 2018 – 12:05 amReplyCancel

  • Pat B - Oh, I am so late in reading and commenting, but starting with the commenting on FTSF is so fun this week. Thank you for the laughs, and reading about Chief brought back memories. We didn’t have a dog when our children were toddlers, but it is easy for me to imagine all the scenarios.March 20, 2018 – 11:17 pmReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - Pat, I’m so late in responding so no worries. It is fun this week, I agree. I love the laughter posts (but I also love the sad ones and everything between so there’s that). Ah Chief. He was the best dog ever. Truly. And so glad you linked up!March 21, 2018 – 12:07 amReplyCancel

Your email is never published or shared. Required fields are marked *

*

*

N e v e r   m i s s   a   n e w   p o s t !