One more day in 2020!
Hahaha! I just realized that 2020 is a leap year and we have an extra day on the calendar!
It’s so perfect!
I have two brothers. One of them is lucky (or unlucky) enough to have been born on February 29. So he celebrates his real birthday every four years. As if he didn’t age the other three years! Ha!
Why am I telling you this? Because I’m feeling feverish and bubbly at the thought of an extra day, and because my brother will be celebrating his birthday this year, which makes it special! Not necessarily because 2020 is full of promises, projects and travel! No.
I can’t wait to see what’s possible this year alone. Of all the MORE that will be. Of all the celebrations that will make people smile, sing and dance. Of all the activities we never do in “normal” times, but will do in 2020 because we have an extra day!
….
We often wait for special occasions to do something, wear something we like, drink a certain wine…
So let’s try something new this leap year.
Take out your beautiful dishes every day. Place a candle on the table every evening. Drink from your Crystal glass, your fine china cup. Use your finest cutlery, your most beautiful tablecloth. Wear your beautiful “weekday” dress, your colorful tie. Make yourself beautiful! Just for fun! Don’t wait until February 29 to celebrate!
I can tell you right now that I intend to do everything I’m suggesting here!
I intend to do all that. A little bit every day. To stop waiting for “something special to happen”. Because every day is special! Even more so this year!
Wishing you a very happy, very happy, very especially ordinary New Year! May 2020 make us all AWARE of the beauty of each day – even if the coating sometimes smells bad!
Health, laughter and joy
Your Haha Sister, Linda
My wishes for you
I’ve decided to share my wishes for you as the decade draws to a close.
I want you to simply choose to be happy now, even if it’s only for a little while. Choose to be happy.
Just for a moment, the present moment, abandon the idea that “something has to change first” and choose to be happy. Just be happy.
How would it look if you gave it a try?
- Put aside all regrets – all the “I wish I or someone else had done things differently” – just for this moment. No regrets.
- Let go of worries about the future – it will be what it will be – and be present now. Without projecting yourself into what isn’t there.
- Choose something, anything, from wherever you are right now. Find it beautiful and breathe into it. Enjoy it.
- Let things be easy – just for a moment. Without forcing it.
And if you take pleasure in breathing in the beauty you see in this moment, I invite you to keep doing it in another moment, and another… and another. Stay in this state of bliss for as long as you feel it!
You know that believing we’ll only be happy “when” (complete the sentence), freezes us in place.
And it’s all there! The moment you pay attention to what’s around you and CHOOSE to be happy, you’ll change the game. No more waiting for happiness to arrive. Happiness is here! In this tiny moment you’re living. Yes, it’s here!
Practice being happy!
And if you get inspired, drop me a line and let me know how it goes!
Laughter, joy and health
Linda
p.s. Yes, I admit it. It can be a challenge! And I sincerely believe it’s worth a try!
In search of happiness?
Last November, I spent several days at the Salon du livre de Montréal, and as I wandered the aisles, one thing struck me. It’s mind-boggling how many books are published on the pursuit of happiness. How to be happier. What to do to feel happier.
I get internet alerts almost daily that articles have been written on this topic. (Yes, I’ve created alerts! HAHAHA! I draw my attention to the beautiful…)
“5 must-haves for happiness…”, “150 quotes to be happy”, “Happiness is within your reach”, “What do happy people do…”, “What you absolutely must know about happiness”. “Don’t do this anymore and you’ll be happy”. And the list goes on!
Whew! Every day, people suggest things to do or not to do to find (or rediscover) happiness! If there’s one thing we all have in common, it’s that we all want to be happy!
I search, you search, we search
It got me thinking. Why are there so many books, articles and columns on the pursuit of happiness? Do we believe that one book will give us the infallible, “ready-to-use” recipe without our having to make any effort? Why do we need to be reminded that happiness can be found in all sorts of little things? In our daily lives? In the bright eyes of a child eating his favorite food. In the song of the birds. In the smell of bread, the smell of apple purée simmering on the stove, the smell of flowers or the clementine we’re about to eat (they’re in season right now, and that smell makes me sparkle!). In the amused gaze of a colleague with whom we’ve just exchanged a joke. In the satisfaction of having accomplished something good. In the synchronicity that puts green lights on our way to work…
As the decade draws to a close, I invite you to make an important list. Write down a minimum of 50 things that make you happy. Things that make you feel good. Your 50 “happinesses”. And keep this list in sight. So you don’t forget! So you can dip into it when you need it. When things aren’t going so well.
I challenge you
And I’m doing it with you too.
I’ve even created a sheet so we can write it all down. It is here in pdf format, easy to print!
Challenge issued. Challenge accepted!
And share YOUR finds with me! Who knows, I might just add them to my own list! Nothing’s stopping me from going to 75, 100 or, why not, 200!
Shall we do it? Let’s do it!
Laughter, joy and health
Linda
P.S. Want to see a list of books on happiness? I simply typed “books on happiness” into Google and this is what I found – only on Amazon… And even more here, what Mrs. Google gives me…
Is laughter the best medicine?
Would laughing really be the best medicine?
I’ve always thought it was an excellent ‘medicine’. But the best? I can hear you now… “If SHE doesn’t believe it’s the best, why is she talking so much about it?” HAHAHA!
This morning I was reading an article from 2014 on the Times website. A very interesting article, by the way, and I thought I’d translate it for you and share it here.
So here it is.
Can we say that laughter has real health benefits?
It may not be the best medicine. But laughter is good for you and can even be compared to a good diet and exercise to keep you healthy and disease-free.
This statement is according to Dr. Lee Berk, Associate Professor at Loma Linda University in California, who has been studying the effects of a good laugh on the brain and body for nearly three decades.
According to Berk, your mind, hormonal system and immune system are constantly communicating in ways that influence everything from your mood to your ability to fight disease. Take grief: “Grief induces stress hormones, which inhibit your immune function, which can lead to illness,” he says. Hardly a week goes by without new research linking stress to another major ailment.
Why talk about stress?
“Because laughter seems to cause all the opposite effects of stress,” Berk explains. He says laughter prevents the release of stress hormones like cortisol. It also triggers the production of beneficial neurochemicals such as dopamine, which have all sorts of calming and anti-anxiety benefits. Think of laughter as yin and stress as yang.
Largely due to these anti-stress powers, laughter has been associated with health benefits ranging from lower inflammation levels to improved blood flow, Berk explains. Some research from Western Kentucky University has also drawn attention to the number and activity of “killer cells”, which your immune system deploys to fight disease. “Many of these things also happen when you sleep well, eat well and exercise,” Berk explains. Which explains why he includes laughter with more traditional healthy lifestyle activities.
Berk has even shown that laughter causes a change in the way many neurons in the brain communicate with each other. More specifically, laughter seems to induce “gamma” frequencies, the type of brain waves observed in people who practice meditation assiduously. These gamma waves improve the “synchronization” of your neuronal activity, which enhances recall and memory, Berk explains.
How does it work?
How does laughter accomplish all this? According to Robert Provine, neuroscientist at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, author of Curious Behavior: Yawning, Laughing, Hiccupping, and Beyond, that’s where things get tricky.
Provine calls himself areserved optimist when it comes to the health-enhancing properties of laughter. “One of the challenges of studying laughter is that there are so many factors that trigger it,” explains Provine. “For example, you’re 30 times more likely to laugh with other people than when you’re alone,” he says. “Social relationships and camaraderie are also recognized as positive health-promoting elements. And so this social component of laughter could play an important role in attributing and recognizing the benefits of laughter,” adds Provine.
Here’s why it matters: if you’re asking people to laugh to improve their health, there may be a big difference between laughing at nothing, without stimulation, watching a humorous clip on YouTube or meeting friends who make you laugh, says Provine.
“That doesn’t mean the benefits aren’t real,” he adds. “But it may not be fair to lend all these ‘superpowers’ solely to the act of starting to laugh.”
But even for researchers like Provine who aren’t ready – at least not yet – to make laughter a universal panacea, nobody disputes the great benefits associated with a good laugh. He’s simply challenging science’s current understanding of its data-gathering mechanisms.
“When you laugh, you’re in a happy space,” he says. “That’s always a good thing.”
Translated from You Asked: Does Laughing Have Real Health Benefits? By Markham Heid November 19, 2014
Yes, well. What’s next?
Personally, I know very well that if I have a giggle when I’m with friends or people, I’ll feel tremendously connected to them simply by having shared a giggle together! I’ll feel good.
However, if I start laughing by simply practicing my laughter as an exercise, I also know that I feel really good after a few minutes. I feel more energetic, calmer, more serene, calm, playful and events bother me less.
So laughter may not be the BEST medicine or, as Robert Provine suggests, a universal panacea. But it’s certainly a GREAT remedy for many ills! Whether it’s depression, lack of energy, insomnia or anxiety. It works!
And that’s a fact!
Come on. I’ll just be a few minutes. Look at your watch and do it with me! Let’s go for 5 minutes!
Laughter, joy and health
Linda
Why is it so destabilizing?
Laughing at nothing… Why is it so destabilizing for us serious, stressed-out adults?
I was listening to a report on Radio-Canada’s Medium Large program this morning, and the host, Catherine Perrin, was talking to a columnist about laughter. In fact, about the false beliefs associated with laughter.
Naturally, my curiosity was piqued!
For example, they said the following:
- A good laugh is the equivalent of a session at the gym. Laughing burns a few calories, but not many. Not enough to make it worthwhile.
- Just because we laugh doesn’t mean it’s funny. Now we know!
- The monkeys laugh too. Of course you can! Many species can laugh. We just don’t know how to decode!
- It’s laugh-out-loud funny. That. I’d say we can die from not laughing enough!
- “Pre-recorded laughter” is effective. Our brains are equipped with laughter detectors—just like yawn detectors—so we feel the urge to laugh when we hear laughter… even if it’s “pre-recorded.”
However, laughter is an important social component and improves our communication.
A few years ago, I had asked that same host to mention the World Laughter Day celebrations taking place that year in Montreal’s Old Port. Her team seemed a little perplexed by the concept of laughter yoga.
And the more I listened to them this morning, the more I wondered how it is that the concept of intentional laughter is so destabilizing for adults?
If the columnist had said that laughter makes you lose weight, I can only imagine the number of people who would have rushed to sign up for classes!
But while laughing doesn’t make you lose weight (at least not enough to be worth mentioning), laughing is tremendously good for your health! On every level! Physically, mentally, socially, emotionally and spiritually (yes, I dare say it!).
Laughter is a PHYSICAL process. Humor is a MENTAL process. In laughter yoga, we know this very well! We practice intentional laughter to, in a way, develop our sense of humor. The more we laugh—even intentionally—the more we find things funny. It’s like a workout!
Curiously, many adults have difficulty with this concept – intentional laughter means laughing “at nothing” – and yet they all understand the benefits of the stationary bike or the treadmill… and yet we’re going nowhere! But we keep going! HAHAHA!
Conclusion? What if we ALLOW ourselves to try? What could be worse than finding ourselves laughing out loud and saying, “This is crazy, but it works!
And IT FEELS GOOD!
Laughter, joy and health
Linda
P.S. Give it a try and let me know what you think! I’ve included a short audio clip to help you out.
Touching moments with seniors
Last Friday, I had the privilege of sharing some very touching moments with a group of seniors in Montreal. Very touching indeed.
I took part in a shoot for Fernand Dansereau’s next film – Le Vieil âge et l’Espérance.
I met Fernand in 2011, I think—the year he was shooting his film *Le Vieil âge et le rire*, in which laughter yoga played a small part. This man is the kind of person who honors us with his friendship. Filmmaker, director, screenwriter—we owe him so many films and TV series! Many of the films Fernand Dansereau was involved in as a producer have won a whole string of national and international awards. In fact, *Le Vieil âge et le rire* won the Audience Favorite Award at the Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois! His body of work is so rich and extensive that I invite you to check out the list on Wikipedia!
Anyway, last Friday I was with a lovely group of 10 seniors, all aged between 80 and… 98. The cameras, pole and microphone intimidated us all at the start of the laughter yoga workshop. But as we progressed through the exercise, the more I saw the eyes sparkle with pleasure and the less we were bothered by the technique. Something wonderful happened between us: a complicity of laughter, joy and good humor.
Positive attitude
Despite the weight of years, physical restrictions and cognitive loss, many of the participants I asked to let go of their worries responded: I have nothing to let go of! I’m all right! I’m not hurt. I’m just fine.
This positive, serene attitude gave me a lot to think about on my way back to Ottawa.
If senior citizens in long-term accommodation, old and even very old, in wheelchairs and walking frames, tell me that everything is fine, what do I have to complain about sometimes? I go where I want, I eat what I want, I see who I want… Yes, I have occasional physical aches and pains. Yes, I have annoyances. But me too, I’m Fine and All’s Well, so it’s a choice? Well… Maybe so after all! As Sonia DiMaulo taught me in the spring, by keeping my words positive, I attract more positivity to myself!
These seniors living with Alzheimer’s disease, with serious physical challenges… and no longer “young”, I saw them happy and serene. After experimenting with a few laughter yoga exercises adapted to their condition, I saw them smiling, cheeks rosy, eyes bright.
I practice what I teach?
I was a bit nervous when I arrived… It’s never a foregone conclusion when I’m working with groups. Will they like what I suggest? Will they be able to overcome their initial embarrassment and let themselves laugh… at nothing? How will they react? And last Friday, I was feeling a little extra stress because the technical crew was going to be watching my every move and filming for Fernand’s movie. I often say this when I’m training facilitators or teachers: the focus shouldn’t be on us, but rather on the people who are with us when we’re leading a workshop. That’s why I can laugh at myself—because it probably took me a good five minutes to stop worrying about whether my hair looked okay on camera, whether I’d be able to get these people to participate, or whether I’d be “good enough”! Hahahaha! — Yes, yes! I’m laughing at myself!!
My lessons.
In the end, what I took away from this exercise was the following:
- Do your best and forget the rest… it doesn’t belong to you – Learn to let go.
- When you DECIDE to take things positively, they become positive.
- Age is a funny concept… it’s possible to be 98 and look 80!
- After a while, if we’re busy, we stop seeing the disturbing elements – Focus on what matters.
- You can do lots of important or fun things at any age – Thank you Fernand for showing me so beautifully.
- Even if we sometimes forget, our childlike heart is never far away – the mischievous eyes bore witness to this.
- The good old songs of yesteryear stay with us – I’ve seen them humming with Doris Day
- And as my grandmother Éva’s favourite song says, the heart never gets old! – Despite the wrinkles!
Fernand Dansereau, I’m honoured by your presence in my life! Thank you for allowing me to experience such beautiful and extraordinary things!
When I’m blue… Keep hope alive
Quand j’ai les bleus bébé, quand j’ai les bleus… Remember Pauline Julien’s song about crunching pills to cheer herself up and see things differently? Yeah… a lot of people have no choice but to turn to traditional medicine for a little hope.
I chose another option.
It’s not that traditional medicine is bad, but I’m lucky enough to have several tools in my trunk for those days when the sun is behind the clouds.
Because, you know, that’s exactly what’s happening. Clouds momentarily block out the bright sunlight. I know, having seen it as a teenager at summer camp.
We had climbed a mountain at sunset and had to spend the night on the summit sleeping under the stars. All night long, people took it in turns to stay awake to make sure the campfire stayed lit to keep “unwanted” animals away and to allow us to cook a hot breakfast. Surprise, surprise! Everyone was asleep and the fire had gone out.
It was the warm rays of the sun that roused us from sleep very early. Tempted to grumble about this early wake-up call, I was about to pull my sleeping bag back over my face when I was struck by the beauty of what I saw. The blazing sun was in our eyes, yes, but just a few meters below us was a line of thick, fluffy white clouds. It was as if we were standing on top of the world! Clouds as far as the eye could see, the mountain peak, the sun, and us! It was magical! Nothing else existed! The horizon was white and distant.
As we had to get back down to a meeting point by midday, we all savored the moment and recorded these images before starting our descent.
The further we descended, the more we were in the liquefying clouds! A heavy rain fell at the bottom of the mountain. My companions and I couldn’t help but marvel at it, for we KNOW from having seen it that above the clouds, the sun shines brightly! Even if we couldn’t see it! Even if it was pouring buckets of water down on us, above it all, the weather was magnificent…
That trip taught me a great lesson about life. I wasn’t even 15 and I remember it like it was yesterday. I look back on it with the same sense of wonder.
Whenever I feel like I’m moving forward under a deluge of worries, cares, pitfalls and challenges, when my life gets “heavy” and events get me down, I KNOW that if I put myself somewhere else, like that day that gave me faith that the sun is still shining up there, I’ll be able to hold on to hope and keep moving forward (or wait patiently for a while). I KNOW that this is just a passing thing and that things will eventually get better. It’s all a question of perspective. Where I am right now is crisis and trouble! But if I climb the mountain, get past the rain clouds, I’ll see the sun again!
Today was kind of a day like that. The weather outside is heavy and gray. Inside, I’m feeling a little melancholy, and I find myself wanting to hug myself, rock myself, and cry softly… Nothing serious. Just like that, for all sorts of reasons… that will pass. It’s not that I’m denying I have the blues. Nor am I trying to snap out of it any faster. I observe things as they are, I breathe, I’m grateful to be aware of it, and I simply smile. The sun continues to shine above the passing cloud. And besides, rain is wonderful! It’s essential for life!
Have you ever experienced something similar? Does it give you hope too? Tell me… I’m very interested.
Laughter, joy and health
Linda
P.S. I am fortunate to be part of a wonderful group of extraordinary and generous women. The HAHA Sisterhood. Luckily, our weekly meeting was just this noon! Guess how much better I felt after sharing and laughing with them! You’re a woman (or you know one!) and you’re looking for meaningful and inspiring contacts? This community is for you! Come and join us on Facebook – a private group for women only (sorry for the gentlemen we love).
Which films make you laugh?
I’m often on the road with passengers (I’m a member of a car-sharing organization) and I always ask them what films – or TV series (or NETFLIX) – made them laugh. Sometimes, I only have one title to jot down in my little “good humor” notebook, and other times, I have several ideas thanks to them!
I’ll never forget the passengers who made the Ottawa-Toronto trip with me! The one at the front mentioned several titles: White Chicks (to which the others reacted by laughing and saying that it was a silly film, but funny too), Qu’est-ce qu’on a fait au bon Dieu?, Détestable moi… and Les Visiteurs!
*The Visitors*! One of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen! For the rest of the ride, every time one of us would say a line out loud, the other would burst out laughing! You can’t imagine how hard we laughed just saying, “Come on, Béa!!! The bottle of Chanel!!!!!!!!!!” “Monsieur Ouille…”We both knew scenes from this movie by heart! The passengers in the back started laughing when they heard us laughing so hard while talking about this movie! The car of good cheer! That’s exactly what we were! Honestly, even though it was a five-hour drive, it felt so short that day!!
So I’m sharing some of my titles with you…
- CHIPS: I’ll admit it (guilty pleasure), I laughed a LOT at this movie! It may not be to everyone’s taste, but I laughed out loud a lot of the time!
- What have we done to God?: Oh, I really liked that! With Christian Clavier, by the way. A couple marries off their daughters to men of different nationalities and religions. Hello, clichés!
- Detestable me: I think you all know what this is! A great animated film that feels good.
- Les Visiteurs: starring Jean Reno, Christian Clavier and Valérie Lemercier, among others. One of the funniest films I’ve ever seen! A dream cast and a formidably effective script.
- Asterix and Obelix, Mission Cleopatra: MY movie for laughs! My favorite! Every time I watch it (yes! I have the DVD), I start laughing again at something I didn’t remember! With Christian Clavier, Gérard Depardieu, Alain Chabat, Jamel Debbouze, Édouard Baer, Monica Belluci, Gérard Darmon… A great cast! And I know some of his lines by heart!
- Brice de Nice: Completely couik this film but the first time I saw it, I laughed out loud! “J’t’ai cassé!!!”
- Frankie & Grace: Great Netflix series starring Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. Two middle-aged women become friends… two very different friends!
- Absolutely Fabulous: The series, not the movie… Patsy and Edina made me laugh out loud several times!
- Dame Edna: Ah, that’s what I occasionally give myself for a laugh on YouTube! Such an ordinary housewife! (NOT!)
- The Graham Norton Show: A unique Englishman! A talk show with a difference! Also on YouTube.
I’m always on the lookout for things that might help me cultivate my sense of humor – I prefer comedies to dramas at certain times of my life (and day!). And when I need it, I have MY LIST! It’s right there in my laughter toolbox.
What would your list of funny movies look like? Or funny shows?
Laughter, joy and health
Linda
P.S. To this list, I would add Lâcher prise, La petite vie, Les Magnifiques, Bridemaids, Les Boys (especially the first film)… and Top Secret!