Laughter

Image: Redsevenleisure

I remember being young, really young and having a babysitter that made me laugh.  Having her come was so much fun, it was a special it was something to look forward to, even though I didn't like the idea of my mom leaving me.  At the time, I was around 4 years old. 

She had such an impact that when my baby sister was born, my parents asked me to help them choose a name for her.  They said that I could pick the babies middle name.  What an exciting task this was for me.  It made me think about this baby as a real live person.  Who did I want her to be like? 

Of course, very quickly my witty fun babysitter, Shelley came to mind.  When I imagined the characteristics I hoped to see in this new life, I thought, wouldn't it be great if she was funny and smart like Shelley.  Unfortunately for my sister (to some extent) her first name was to be Rachel.  Apparently Rachel and Shelley are derivatives of each other.

As it turned out, one the things I admire so much in my sister is her razor sharp sense of humor.  She has this witty, dry sense of humor that so often catches people off guard for an instant before laughter erupts.  She has an innate ability to see irony in everyday situations and to use her sarcastic characterizations as a tool to bring her friends to their knees in laughter.  This laughter has been such a tool for her to make tense, scary, and overwhelming situations bearable. 

So many other people who have the gift of humor have held my deepest regard.  It is such a gift. Laughter has the most amazing power to heal and unite people.  I often wish I was less of a ponderer and more witty.  But having people with these gifts around me has no doubt influenced me, washing my world with richness and color.