I recall the past years, especially the past few years prior to my retirement, when I lived by myself because all my children are all married and lived somewhere else with their families.
Contributor: Erlinda O. Moralde
There’s my small room where I contemplated my rather boring life after I’m done with my office work. Inspite of that uninteresting part of my life, there was a feeling of contentment and peace in me. However, when I hear mirthful laughter in the adjacent rooms, I realized that I must be missing a lot in my life.
- “The human race has only one really effective weapon and that is laughter” – Mark Twain.
- “Laughter is the best medicine“.
- “The most wasted of all days is one without laughter” – E.E. Cummings.
- “At the height of laughter, the universe is flung into a kaleidoscope of new possibilities” – Jean Houston.
- “Mirth is God’s medicine. Everybody ought to bathe in it” – Henry Ward Beecher.
- “Laughter is an instant vacation” – Milton Berle.
These sayings floated playfully around me as I continued my musing. I could not remember the last time I laughed out loudly and without reserve with my family. Of course, I do laugh mirthfully in the office. I make sure that everyone gets a dose of laughter everyday by cracking out jokes. Laughter takes the boredom and stress away from the work place. It lightens up the office like a light bulb. I missed those days now that I’m retired.
I realized that although I have a happy family, we are not the kind who laugh together often. I realized that I should have made family laughter a regular and serious undertaking. I should have made my family a family who LOL (laugh out loud) together everyday.
Well, it’s not too late. As a full-time grandmother, I get to see and take care of 8 chortling, twittering, giggly grandchildren who make my golden age literally golden. Even now as I am writing this, a smile begins to form in my face as I recall the kids. Given the chance, I’d build a big place for them where we can play and laugh together to our hearts’ content. And I am going to make sure that we will never be wanting in laughter together everyday.
For me, laughter is not a privilege, it’s a responsibility.