Humor

Stress is a killer. Laughter is a healer. Stress aggravates illness but laughter contributes to healing.

This awareness goes back to the days of Hippocrates. He advocated humor as one of the basic elements for good health. Along with massage and nutrition.

The Bible states:  “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine.” (Proverbs 17:22)

Interestingly enough Hammurabi, ancient founder of civilization, advocated humor as a significant element for wellness.

A friend sent me this anonymous writing on, The Value of a Smile. “It costs nothing, but creates much good. It enriches those who receive it without impoverishing those who give it away. It happens in a flash but the memory of it can last forever. No one is so rich that he can get along without it. No one is too poor to feel rich when receiving it.

It creates happiness in the home, fosters good will in business, and is the countersign of friends. It is rest to the weary, daylight to the discouraged, sunshine to the sad and nature’s best antidote for trouble.

Yet it cannot be bought, begged, borrowed, or stolen for it is something of no earthly good to anybody until it is given away willingly.”

Studies have shown that 60% of stress is job related and 40 % is family related. These graphics change drastically after retirement. Aging, the economy, health and the loss of loved ones become primary stressors.

We should be grateful we don’t live in Tacoma, Washington. It ranks as the most stressful city in the U.S. Closely followed by Miami, New Orleans, Las Vegas, New York and Mobile.

Evidence of stress is the rate of suicide. Causes are high unemployment, theft and the gloomy weather. This information is all the more important for those under great stress.

One answer is to cultivate laughter by reading and listening to jokes.

I received the following two jokes from several people. Both are old but worth laughter.

John’s handyman wasn’t the swiftest guy on earth. But he was cheap and so was Jim, which is why he hired the guy to paint his porch for $50.00 “You tightwad,” scolded Jim’s wife. “Our porch covers half of the house! He’ll be there for days.” Jim simply smirked. An hour later, there was a knock at the door. The handyman had finished. “How did you get done so quickly?” Jim asked. “It was a piece of cake,” the handyman replied. “Oh, and it’s a Ferrari, not a Porsche.”

A wife says to her Congressman husband, “Could you please go to the store for me and buy a carton of milk. And if they have eggs, get six.” A short time later the husband comes back with six cartons of milk. The wife asks, “Why the heck did you buy six cartons of milk? He said, “They had eggs.” If you don’t get it ask Frank Melton to explain it to you.

All of us have experienced the following situation. In fact, I read this joke in a doctor’s office.

The huge backlog in the doctor’s waiting room was taking its toll. Patients were glancing at their watches and getting restless. Finally one man walked to the receptionist’s station and tapped on the glass. She slid back the window, saying, “Sir, you’ll have to wait your turn.” “I just had a question,” he remarked dryly. “Is Barack Obama still President?”

Two subjects are among my favorite for humor. One is golfing humor and the other one is of a religious nature.

Arnold Palmer was invited to play a series of exhibition golf matches in Saudi Arabia. The king of Saudi Arabia was so impressed with “Arnie” and so appreciative of Palmer’s  impact on his countrymen that he wanted to give him a gift. “It really isn’t necessary,” Palmer insisted. “I am honored to have been invited.”

The king was persistent. “I would be unhappy if I could not show you my appreciation,” he said. Finally, Palmer relented. He thought for a moment and said, “Well, how about a golf club? That would make a nice memento of my visit to your country.” The next day Arnold Palmer received the title to a golf club-consisting of thousands of acres of real estate, a club house, beautiful trees, etc. Sometimes a labor of love is richly rewarded!

This story is somewhat hairy with age, but is worth telling: After spending time with

Eve, Adam was walking in the Garden with God. Adam told God how much the woman meant to him and how blessed he felt to have her. Adam began to ask questions about her. Adam: Lord, Eve is beautiful. Why did you make her so beautiful? God: So you would always want to look at her. Adam: Lord, her skin is so soft. Why did you make her skin so soft? God: So you would always want to be near her. Adam: That’s wonderful Lord, and I don’t want to seem ungrateful, but why did you make her so stupid? God: So she would love you.

Amen. Selah. So be it.

 

WORDS TO THINK ABOUT:
G. W. Abersold Ph.D