The power of laughter

As most of you know the last couple of months have been pretty up and down for with all that has happened. Such a big change in life is bound to come with a few stumbling blocks and hiccups. However that is not what this post is about. I do not intend to write a long post this evening but I wanted to briefly touch upon on something that has made a huge difference for me… having a laugh.

I spent the evening yesterday in the company of friends and I laughed and laughed until my belly ached. I burst out laughing in the car all the way home thinking of all the crazy stories told that night. Today I spent quite a few moments in work laughing with my colleagues about all kinds of sh*t. It was great.

There have been days when life seemed pretty crap but then a comment from a friend would make me burst out laughing and all the sudden the day seemed much brighter. It can make the most stressful day so much easier. It is amazing the difference it can make. Oh I am sure there are plenty of scientific proof of why this is the case. A good laugh does prolong life… as they say in Sweden. Am sure there is a lot of truth behind that. The important part for me is that I am lucky enough to have great people around me that I can have a laugh together with.

When I can laugh everything is better. With laughter there are no obstacles too big. With laughter we can do anything.

Boredom strikes but laughter prevails

The sun is setting over Dublin. Setting after a very sunny albeit windy day. It has been a great day today. A day filled with sunshine, great company, a nice long walk, good food in a cosy pub and a shandy to polish it off.

I am very happy with how this Sunday turned out… but I am finding myself bored stiff at the moment. No idea why. I do not even know what I would like to do right now. Going out partying does not sound tempting at all. Watching a film is equally uninteresting. If it was not for the late hour I would go to the gym or something I think – which is weird as I am tired at the same time. Maybe it is just that I feel like having some company to chat away to this evening… not sure. I hate it when I get bored and I cannot figure out what to do about it. So I decided to write a post instead. About appreciation.

Anyone who has met me knows that I like to talk. I like to interact with people I know. I am not as chatty when I meet someone for the first time, I can be quite the opposite even. When I was younger I was very shy. You could get about three words out of me if I did not know you. I came across as grumpy a lot (the wonderful teenage years) but in reality I just did not know what to say. As I have gotten older I am no longer shy but I can still be reserved initially. Very quiet and just observing – unless I feel some connection to the person I meet.

At the same time I like silence. I like being on my own as well and just chill but I also enjoy quiet-time in company of others. When you can have moments of silence in company of others without it feeling awkward are rare but very peaceful when they occur. It is something I have come to appreciate more and more over the years.

It is funny how things change of what we appreciate around us with time. I believe it comes with feeling more centered and secure in ourselves. Our experiences in life play their part as well. Some things will always be important, no matter what. The cornerstones I suppose you could call them. For me the cornerstones are: laughter, friends, honesty and an open mind. Pretty simple things but oh so important to me.

People are today being accused of being flighty and restless compared to previous generations. In truth, we are more restless today. The world is smaller and travel has never been so easy and convenient. This is a good thing though in my opinion. I love to travel. I love working in a different country. My appreciations have not changed though. They have actually become more solid. Traveling, meeting new people and having new experiences all contributes to an open-mindedness that was not as prevalent before. Being away from my place of birth has made the bonds of friendship that I have all the more vital and important to me. Without honesty, I would not have gotten where I am today. Finally without laughter neither honesty, friendship or an open mind would make a difference. If I cannot laugh at the world, the situation, with others or even at myself – then what good is there?

So I guess being able to smile is what makes the world spin for me. Funny how this post started with boredom and ended with a smile.

“My blackberry is not working”

Saw this today and almost choked on my coffee I was laughing so much… Just felt I had to share.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAG39jKi0lI&feature=player_embedded

Broke me shite laughing…

Image via Wikipedia

There has been quite a few emails going around today in regards to Thanksgiving and what to the thankful for. Personally I do not celebrate Thanksgiving, the obvious reason being that I am not American. However there is still plenty that I can say that I am thankful for.

What i most and foremost am thankful for today is the bunch of girls that I know, friends both near and away, that have spent the last few days emailing in a FB thread about all the wackos, weirdos and nutcases that we all have the “pleasure” to know or work with or have heard about. I swear I laughed so much I couldn’t breathe half the time.

It was exactly what I needed this week. I have spent the last few days doing +12 hours a day and still not been finished in work. So instead of crying in despair I cried with laughter whenever I had 2 minutes between processes to finish running in the background. I was shaking with laughter in front of my computer and I have never been more thankful for a laugh than I was then.

You made my week bearable. You are the best! Miss you all.