Sunday, January 24, Suzanne asked if I could recommend a funny book, but I couldn't remember the last time I had the pleasure of reading a funny book.
Kathy looked to Suzanne, then to me and said, "She wants to belly laugh."
"I want to belly laugh too," but I couldn't remember the last time I had a good belly laugh. "We need more belly laughs." My friends couldn't have agreed more.
A few days later, curiosity drove me to look up the definition of a belly laugh. Not only did I learn it's a deep and satisfying laugh, but I discovered Global Belly Laughing Day. It is a real thing, a day when the whole world is invited to belly laugh together. In order to belly laugh, a video performer suggestsed we tell a joke, use a pun, have a staring contest, or tickle someone--even a stranger.
May I suggest an alternative. A satisfying alternative I learned quite by accident.
At the expense of myself.
First day back to school, I started the day in the copy room and couldn't find my glasses. This was a mini tragedy. Thinking of borrowing Marlene's readers from the dollar store strained my eyes.
I made the copies without glasses (only a few mistakes) and decided to go home and get my glasses. I live six minutes away if I catch all the green lights, and I can call Tony and ask him to look for the glasses and meet me at the garage. Always an efficient man, he calculated that he could put the eyeglasses on the bike seat on the driver's side of the garage, and I could pull in, reach over and retrieve without even getting out of the car. I was put-out and doubtful his plan would be so efficient.
"Can you just meet me at the garage." Now he was put out, but understanding and to prove his point the glasses were found straddling the bike seat and easily retrieved. It was as smooth as a McDonald's drive through with a lot less calories.
I rushed back to school, a little off balance by the unexpected inconvenience.
But school must always go on; I put on my face shield and taught. Halfway through the first class, I paused to search for my eyeglasses for I needed to read. I couldn't see them. No! Panicked I burst out to the class, "Where are my glasses; can anyone see them?"
"They're on your face."
"No!" But indeed they were.
The student was belly laughing. Soon the girl next to him was belly laughing. I weakly smiled.
That afternoon when I call Deb to give her a student update, I share the tale of the misplaced glasses on my face. Deb belly laughs. It's a scrumptious sound and more contagious than measles. I have the honor attending the belly laughing fest at the forfeiture of my own pride.
This all started because Suzanne wanted to belly laugh. I send her a text: Did you know that Sunday, January 24th, the day you requested the need for a belly laugh, was Global Belly Laughing day?
I didn’t, she responds. Proof of the mysterious and serendipitous treasure of life.
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