“A good laugh is sunshine in the house.” ~ William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863) English novelist and illustrator.

We use the term laugh out loud a lot (LOL) yet few of us seem to actually laugh out loud. What does our laugh out loud laugh sound like? We might smile or nod to signify, yes that is funny, but actually laughing out loud, when did we last do that? As we age it can be rarer for some reason, yet as children we could be bent over and rocking with the hilarity at a situation or joke or just hearing some new words that seemed silly.

A good laugh is sunshine in the house. A striking and pleasant thought, that laughing is like sunshine or lightness to have around, and when people together can laugh and be amused, it is beautiful and a great spirit lift. Laughter can break tension and drop barriers, at least for a moment. And laughter amongst friends or non-comedians is a different kind of laughter moment, more sunshine maybe than generic humor for the masses.

A good laugh says so much. A good laugh seems to include being delightfully surprised by something, to feel relaxed enough to be open to that moment and also have one’s humor button turned on. Certainly to be receptive to the possibility something being funny or said in fun helps. Otherwise a lot of scowling can be going on. We want more sunshine in the house!