Finding Laughter – What I Learned From a Funny Friend (Day 16)

Lorna laughs – a lot – and she is funny. So I knew I HAD to interview her for this Finding Laughter series. When I called Lorna on the phone to tell her my idea, I kept laughing. She wasn’t saying anything funny – yet.

I think it was in anticipation; just like you might laugh in anticipation of the tickle that is sure to come.

Lorna didn’t grow up with a lot of laughter in the home. In fact there was a lot of sadness and loss. I.e. In the middle of her 2nd grade three big changes occurred: her great grandma died, a baby brother joined the family, and they moved. There were a lot of tears.

So then how did Lorna get her laughter beginning?

Then something happened in 3rd grade. Lorna and 4 other girls became a roaming comedy troop at school. They would go from classroom to classroom to do a skit. However, these skits were not well-scripted and practiced in advance. They were totally ad-libbed. They were goofy and made people laugh. “I guess I enjoyed being a ham,” Lorna concluded.

Lorna feeds her funny bone in two ways.

1. Lorna grew up with comedians like Carol Burnett, Lucille Ball and Jerry Lewis. “I could watch them today and still laugh. I know some people don’t like Jerry Lewis, but I love his goofy humor and I could laugh for days at his comedy.”
2. Time with her family is always filled with laughter. Shawn and Lorna have 6 adult children and 7 grand children. “I know I will laugh when I am with my family. All of them are very funny and have a great sense of humor. When we get together I laugh until my sides hurt.”

What is Lorna’s best laughter advice? 

Laughter & bowling: a good mix.

Laugh as often as you can. When life is anxious, difficult or hard, laughter can help you get through it. There is a grace to being able to laugh. 

Remember God is gracious; while there are the bitter times, there are also sweet times. And although I don’t always see it, there will be an end to the bitter. At some point I will see the funny.

Don’t forget to laugh at yourself.

I laugh a lot at work because I laugh at my mistakes. This is a change for me. When I first started, I was worried about making mistakes.

Now I laugh about them. For example, I send a lot of emails every day. Sometimes I forget to strike the “o” key. Later an email will come back with a reply and I have to laugh when I realize that I told someone right at the onset of the email, “Hell Susan.”

Luckily Lorna hasn’t been reported for harassment or profanity.

Of course, Lorna and I laughed a lot during our time together. And as research has shown, our laughter made me feel more connected to her, even though we haven’t talked (about deep things) in almost a year.

And I was reminded of a few things. . .

• Laugh at yourself.
• Be around funny people.
• Practice being funny.
• Know that laughter can be a holy, wholesome and genuine relief from life.

I am joining 100’s of others at #write31days to write every day in October 2015 on a single topic. My topic is 31 Days of Finding Laughter. I will spend time each day studying laughter to see if I can improve my laughter quotient.

Go here for the landing page which has all the posts in one spot.

Read, learn, and discover with me what this world of laughter is all about and is it all that it’s cracked up to be. And be sure to leave a comment. Talking together will make for a richer, interactive experience for all of us.