Y Ddraig Goch

May 18 2025 - Laughter is Good for the Soul

Prompt: Laughter. "There's great value in being able to step back and laugh at yourself, at life, and at attitudes. Laughter helps you put everything into perspective." Jim Henson
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In the UK we have a saying "Today's news is tomorrow's fish and chip wrapper." It harks back to the days when we wanted our fish and chips coated in ink as well as salt and vinegar (I'm joking the newspaper was the outside wrapper, not the internal one). The premise is that the things that seem important to us today won't be tomorrow, or at least in the future. I suppose it is the equivalent to today's "This too shall pass".

That bad day you're having - it will pass - there will be a better one. The argument with your spouse - it will pass - you'll probably have many more (you might even win one!). Even the grief we feel - in time even that will lessen and pass.

As a whole, the human race takes itself far too seriously. I mean honestly, the more you look at us as a species, the more you realise how utterly ridiculous we are. And yet, many of us are incapable of finding the funny side in most situations - especially the ones where we are front and centre - with the spotlight homed in on us.

People who laugh at themselves are happier people. That might seem obvious...

We all make mistakes. We all embarrass ourselves at some point. I make a fool of myself on a daily basis if I haven't had my tea to wake my brain up. We can't be perfect all the time because perfect really doesn't exist. It's a stupid human construct that serves no purpose other than to make us feel bad about our lives and ourselves. It's a horrible feeling to believe/have people laugh AT us. Yet it's also a rite of passage. A lesson that needs to be learnt, because it will happen regardless. If we laugh at our follies, people usually laugh with us (which feels completely different). And if it is at us, their gaze will move on quickly enough.

While something may feel super important at the time it's happening, it rarely makes CliffsNotes in our lives. At most, we may reminisce over it with our friends and family while sipping a beer, glass of wine, or large fruit cocktails with one of those little umbrellas. "Remember when you..."

Time allows us to laugh at ourselves, because time allows us to have perspective. It forces us to have perspective. We move on, our lives change, our priorities shift. The sooner we are able to laugh at a situation, the quicker we can move on... to the next embarrassing situation, because you know it's coming.

I have also realised (sadly only once I entered my 30s and stopped caring about the opinions of others so much) that if I accept that I might make a fool out of myself and laugh at it, I actually end up having so much fun. And I often get to try something new too. The fear of being laughed at often stops us trying stuff out - which is a shame.