Are You LOL’ing* as You Fight Cancer?
Are You LOL’ing* as You Fight Cancer?
laugh·ter ˈlaftər/
noun
- the action or sound of laughing.
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2. synonyms: |
laughing, chuckling, chortling, guffawing, giggling, tittering, twittering, cackling, sniggering; |
*Loaning Out Laughter.
My husband Rodney was talking to me the other day about our book as we were walking down an aisle at Lowe’s. He told me that we could be a “Putzlitzer Prize Winner.” Yes, I spelled that correctly. If you’ve been reading my blog, you know that we southerners have our own language (especially my family) called “Hicklish.” If you’re new to my blog, you’re in for a pleasant surprise—or a confusing one at least.
Our odd language touches and shapes our lives with a happy, unknown vocabulary that leaves people scratching their head, and hunting for a dictionary.
Disclaimer: A Putzlitzer Prize, for the record, is not affiliated in any way to a Pulitzer Prize Winner. Just making sure…
Rodney’s not selfish with his laughter – he’s always loaning it out. I laughed hysterically when he shared the “Putzlitzer” one with me. He knows how to make me laugh. Sometimes a giggle or a cackle, but usually, an out-and-out guffaw! Love that word. Guffaw. An excellent example of onomatopoeia*, by the way.
(*Words that sound like what they are: bow-wow, meow, gurgle, mumble, burp).
Laughter truly is good medicine, and best loaned out and shared. And Rodney’s mastered this truth. Yes, cancer is serious business, but you absolutely need to have a sense of humor when you’re going toe-to-toe with death every day. If you don’t, it’s easy to get emotionally swamped.
Besides, it’s an easy choice: Laugh or be depressed all the time, and feel like giving up? That’s a no-brainer. Sure, everyone fights cancer in their own way, but if you haven’t added LOL’ing to your “Attacking-Cancer” arsenal, you’re missing a crucial weapon.
When Rodney gets me going (i.e., most of the time), I can end up laughing so hard I can’t breathe. I have to tell him to be quiet so I can catch my breath. I don’t even look at him; if I do, I’m doubled over again. And he milks it. He waits for me to sneak a peek between gasps, and if I do, I start snorting and spraying all over again.
I wish for you someone who can do that to you—and for you. It’s a priceless gift.
If you’ve read our book, you know that when Rodney first realized he’d have to do coffee enemas, his reply was, “The best part of waking up is Folgers in your…” And every time someone asks us to go get a cup of coffee with them, he says “Starbutts?” LOL!
Laughter’s been known to make people cry, release endorphins and feel really good afterwards. Unless you laugh too hard and literally split your side. It happens. Laughter is also a great immune booster!
Laughter’s also been known to make people pee their pants. In which case, of course, you’ll laugh even harder (and then you need to go clean yourself up…).
Laughter takes many forms: chuckles, giggles, cackles and hissing. Sometimes when my husband gets really tickled by something, he hisses like Muttley. Oh, you don’t know who Muttley is? Go here: http://bit.ly/muttleyhiss.
Writing about Rodney makes me happy. Combine an excellent sense of humor with his serious intelligence, and it adds up to one witty guy always ready to unleash a zinger. And when he laughs? Rodney’s laugh instantly brings a smile to my face, joy to my heart, and is one of the many things that I love about my husband. My favorite thing? His hands—one of the first things I saw when we first met. You can read more about how we met in our book 90 Days to Live.
After all he’s been through the past few years—and we’ve been through together—to be able to keep his perspective, and hold onto joy, is such a gift. And laughter helps us do that.
So, as long as he keeps on loaning out his laughter, I’ll continue to have a smile on my face, and a guffaw in my heart—just awaiting the release from its confines, so it can flow free. And it will.
Oh, no…he just gave me one of his patented sideways glances. Here we go again! LOL.