"A family that laughs together stays together."
Wow, there could never be a quote better suited for me than this one. For as long as I can remember, I've laughed at anything and everything. In elementary school, I was known as Giggle Box. I don't know why, but I just love laughing, even if I'm laughing at something stupid. Maybe it's because people are so much more fun to be around when they're happy and smiling and they feel better when you laugh at their (sometimes corny) jokes. But seriously, I've lost too many staring contests because I've broken into spurts of laughter. It's not that everything's a joke, but I prefer to find pleasure in the simple things in life, expound upon them, and it just makes me happy so it overflows into a laugh.
Now, is it just me or do people have different facial expressions when they laugh? Like, I can tell in pictures which ones I'm truly laughing in because of my eyes. When I'm laughing hysterically, my eyes "disappear" and my smile spread over my entire face. If I'm just smiling, you can actually see my eyes and my smile is normal size. (Left-picture smile/Right-actually laughing)
I think laughter is the glue of relationships. When you laugh you're giving that person your approval and keeping things light and fun and not always serious. Without laughter, the world would be dark and foreboding and thats just not how I want to live. There are so many things I have to be thankful for and it makes me happy. Knowing that Jesus is my savior and that He helps me through every day and every situation is enough to make me want to laugh and dance every day.
Another thing about laughter is that you have to be able to laugh at yourself. Even though it's one of the hardest things to learn, it makes life a whole lot easier. For instance, I was playing volleyball at Daviess County the other night and this really funny but embarrassing thing happened to me. I was running to the baseline to pass a ball with my hands over my head, but just as I'm about to hit it, the entire team is yelling "OUT!" So, I instantly pulled my arms back down and ducked so the ball wouldn't hit my head. There was only one problem: the momentum I had running back added with suddenly ducking caused me to lose my footing and I fell. Well, fell may not be the right word, more like, flopped I guess. Anyways, as I'm getting up, the ENTIRE GYM is laughing at me, and for a second I almost started crying. But, then I thought, "Wow, that probably looked pretty hilarious," and just like that, I started laughing and almost fell again from laughing so hard. Now, that's going to be a funny memory for weeks to come instead of becoming an "awkward turtle" moment.
SIDENOTE: When I say I've been laughing for as long as I can remember, it's actually longer: since I was born. Most of my friends know that I'm the third and middle child in my family with an older brother and sister, but there's a story that only a few people know. After my mom had Ethan, it appeared that she had the "perfect" American family: a husband, two children, and a dog. Everyone she knew pressured her into thinking that since she already had a boy and a girl, that there wasn't a need for any more kids. Soon after, she found out that she's pregnant with me. Throughout the entire pregnacy, my mom cried and cried because she didn't know what was going to happen or if she could handle three kids under the age of five. But anyways, once I was born, mom said I smiled and laughed all the time, as if that was God's way of telling her that she had nothing to worry about. Kinda neat. :)
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