Oh, I love to laugh. Just as the older folk in that wonderful scene in "Mary Poppins" float up to the ceiling as a result of their uncontrollable giggling, laughter makes my body feel so much better, and my mind, and yes, I'll say it, my soul.
And when I laugh with my family, I feel all our stress melt away, the scheduling, the hurt feelings, the misunderstandings, the lack of attention, the hard homework, the limited free time... it stops time for us to laugh together, it brings us back together.
To laugh with my husband is like acknowledging the power of our bond; that we are so much more than our routines, our responsibilities; that we are allowed to step out of our roles and our needs, our grown-up efforts at keeping everyone happy and safe, and just be completely goofy. The fact that we find so many things funny together and are willing to make ourselves laugh even in moments when we may otherwise choose to take ourselves very seriously is a gift.
The simple fact is, for me, laughter is love medicine. It cures what ails my love, as a loving wife, mother, teacher, daughter, sister and friend. If I can't laugh, I can't love as fully as I want to and if I can't make someone laugh, I can tend to feel hopeless, pensive, sad.
While chronic, apprehensive or nervous laughter may be a sign of avoiding the more painful or serious issues of life, healthy and joyful laughter is necessary. There have been studies done to show that laughter is healing and you can feel this as you break free and let go; watch a comedy special with your honey or just make fun of yourself here and there.
It can bond you in wonderful ways.