I have so much gratitude for laughter. I am so blessed to have so much of it in my life. Enjoy this entry as I begin to develop it as a full conversation about my love of laugh and how it has shown up for me.
Laughter
In the beginning there was laughter.
I always like to start there. I may not always be able to stay there, but every night I make my way back home, to laughter. I remember hearing my mom laugh every day. I remember hearing my dad tell her entertaining stories about his day, and people he interacted with, and jokes that he had come across or made up from his experiences. There was always laughter.
Because of laughter from the beginning of my remembrance, I quested on a daily treasure hunt for opportunities to laugh. I hung out with Net while we were in the house because she always created those opportunities within the confines of walls. She was like a Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in my life of laughter. She always showed me ways of living peacefully, without quarrel, but calling to account the dissenters of peace with jokes, jokes, and more jokes.
Rocky, well, my brother Rocky Shivers, Jr., he didn’t focus on jokes, but he was always down for a fun adventure. The more fun and adventurous a mission seemed, the more he wanted to partake, and I was always his enthusiastic fellow conquistador. Along those adventures, we made new friends, some lasted years, some only for that particular leg of our voyage. Each adventure filled me with joy that I felt rise from the ground, swell into my feet, heat up my calves, sweat my thighs and rumble in my stomach as laugh that erupted out of my mouth. My ears got hot, my heart raced, I perspired, and by the time the sun went down I was energetically exhausted. I went to bed with anticipation for waking up the next day to do it again.
(This is a work in progress. I hope you all loved it.)
Claudia Shivers, Gratitude Journalist 