Have you ever wondered why so many comedians like Jack Benny, Milton Berle, Bob Hope, and George Burns lived to be so old. Because as the scripture says … Laughter is a good medicine and and I will add, good Life Training. Before the onset of “shock” humor … where humor became a four-letter word … there were men and women who just wanted to make us Laugh. We could forget all our troubles for a while and have a good old-fashioned belly Laugh!

Ben Franklin once said, “The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself.” He realized that joy and happiness were a choice. I’ve met people who were in abject poverty and yet they were happier then some rich men. I’ve met people with great physical challenges who were not wallowing in pity … but were making a difference with their lives through their Life Training.

Doctors have studied the effect of Laughter on humans. They’ve discovered, that Laughter has a deeply profound and a virtually instantaneous effect on virtually every vital organ in the body. They say that Laughter, even when it is forced, has beneficial effects on us. Laughter is good for us both mentally and physically. It is a good medicine for Life Training!

Researchers say that Laughter can basically bring balance to all the components of the immune system, which helps us fight off diseases. I heard a speaker say this last week that while arguing for one minute can decrease your immune system for up to 10 hours … one minute of Laughter can boost you immune system for up to 24 hours!

It’s well known that Laughter reduces levels of certain stress hormones. Stress hormones are horrible. They suppress the immune system. They can increase the number of blood platelets, which can cause blockages in arteries. This can cause your blood pressure to go up. Something amazing starts to happen when we laugh. Our bodies produce natural killer cells that destroy tumors and viruses. Gamma-interferon … a disease-fighting protein increases. T-cells, which are a major part of the immune response, and B-cells, which make disease-destroying antibodies … they all increase when we laugh. Laughter is all about Life Training.

Laughing can be a total body workout! Our blood pressure is lowered and our blood flow is increased. Oxygenation of the blood is increased. All of these things assist our bodies in healing.

The psychological benefits of humor are also amazing. We as humans tend to store up negative emotions. We hold our anger and fear inside. When we laugh it is an outlet for these emotions to be released in a positive way. There’s even a move on now in the mental health profession. They are recommending “Laughter therapy.” They actually hold classes and teach people how to laugh. This reminds me of the movie about Patch Adams whom Robin Williams portrayed. Doctors and psychiatrists are becoming more aware of the therapeutic benefits of Laughter and humor and how it impacts Life Training.

“The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is Laughter.” So let’s use our weapon and take a Laughter break.

Once there was a really nice lady. She was a minister’s widow, who was a little old-fashioned and extremely proper. She was planning a week’s vacation in California at a church campground near Yosemite National Park, but she wanted to make sure of the accommodations first. Most important on her mind were bathroom facilities, but she couldn’t bring herself to write “toilet” in a letter. After considerable deliberation, she settled on “bathroom commode,” but when she wrote that down, it still sounded too forward. So, after the first page of her letter, she referred to the bathroom commode as “BC.”
“Does the cabin where I will be staying have its own BC? If not, where is the BC located?” This is what she actually wrote.

The campground owner took the first page of the letter and the lady’s check and gave it to his secretary. He put the remainder of the letter on the desk of the senior member of his staff, without noticing that the staffer would have no way of knowing what “BC” meant. Then the owner went off to town to run some errands.

The staff member came in after lunch, found the letter, and was baffled by the “BC”. He showed the letter around to several counselors, but they couldn’t figure it out either. The staff member’s wife, who knew that the lady was the widow of a famous Baptist preacher, was sure that it must be a question about the local Baptist church. “Of course!” The first staffer exclaimed. ‘BC’ stands for ‘Baptist Church.’”

The staffer was quite busy, so it took him a few days to answer the woman’s letter. Finally, he sat down and wrote: Dear Madam, I regret very much the delay in answering your letter, but I now take the pleasure in informing you that the BC is located nine miles north of the campground and is capable of seating 250 people at one time. I admit it is quite a distance away if you are in the habit of going regularly, but no doubt you will be pleased to know that a great number of people take their lunches along and make a day of it. They usually arrive early and stay late.

The last time my wife and I went was six years ago, and it was so crowded we had to stand up the whole time we were there. It may interest you to know that right now there is a supper planned to raise money to buy more seats. They are going to hold it in the basement of the “BC.”

I would like to say that it pains me very much not to be able to go more regularly, but it is surely no lack of desire on my part. As we grow older, it seems to be more of an effort, particularly in cold weather. If you decide to come down to our campground, perhaps I could go with you the first time, sit with you, and introduce you to all the folks. Remember, this is a friendly community.
Sincerely, . . .

Laughter is a good medicine! And … it’s free! And is an integral part of Life Training!

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