If you asked me how my week was, I’d probably say, “Busy,” without a hint of hesitation. But busy is boring. So I rephrased the question: What sustained me this week, after five nights of gigs and a visit from both my sisters, two nieces, and a grandniece? My first answer might be intentional self-care. After all, I got plenty of sleep, ate great meals, went shopping, and overall took pretty good care of myself. But it was more than that. After looking a little closer, I realized that every moment I spent with my family and friends was threaded through with laughter. I laughed a lot. And though I may not have realized it at the time, that laughter was a deep well of joy and energy that not only sustained me but made a “busy” week feel easy and fun.
When my sisters and I get together, we revert to childhood. We laugh at the silliest things. We giggle, make funny faces, and act like our ages are in single digits. We temporarily forget all the rules of adulthood and become like little girls. All the well-intentioned advice my grandmother instilled in us about “acting like ladies” was nowhere to be found. I might have even heard her let out a faint sigh of hopelessness from above at seeing us all together.
There were no expectations to behave a certain way. We moved around the pieces of a sidewalk display to take pictures. The three daughters decided that Mom should sit in the rocking chair. She didn’t want to. She doesn’t want to do anything that might make her appear old, just like her mother before her. But some things haven’t changed in fifty years. Her daughters still don’t listen, so she threw up a white flag and sat in the rocking chair.
We tried on hats and clothes, and laughed. We shared meals at different restaurants and laughed some more. While I was with my mom in a back office waiting for her doctor, I could hear my family laughing in the waiting area. Over glasses of iced tea, we broke into belly laughs, throwing our heads back and doubling over as tears rolled down our cheeks. As people in the restaurant turned their heads in our direction, I realized I’m not the only one in my family who laughs loudly. My niece might just have us all beat.
“She makes me laugh at the funny side of life, and leaves me wishing on a star.”
—Little Bird song lyric
Life is serious business, and laughter is essential.
The adage ‘someday we’ll laugh about this’ is true. We will laugh. Because even if it wasn’t funny at the time, it’s sure to be hilarious given a little time.
At the end of our gig on Friday night, a boisterous man in the crowd yelled out, “Play a five-song encore!” I laughed.
As I was writing yesterday, my phone kept lighting up with messages from my husband, who was sitting a few feet away. I guess he thought texting me would be less distracting. I appreciate his consideration, but in all honesty, being in the same room while he tries to hold in his laughs is even funnier, not to mention that the whole trailer shakes anyway. I gave in and watched the reels of cats, goats, and children. I laughed.
Laughter is underrated. It is one of the most valuable gifts we have been given. It’s more than good medicine. It’s how we cope. It’s how our bodies release tension and anxiety. It breaks the ice. It reminds us not to take ourselves or life too seriously and to have a little fun.
We’re all navigating the ups and downs of life—the crazy hairpin turns where the road disappears for a moment, the storms that knock the wind out of our sails. But when we gather with others, when we share time, stories, and laughter, that shimmering thread of laughter becomes our lifeline—a reminder that we’re all in this together.
I really enjoyed this week's Sunday Best. What a blessing to have this kind of relationship with your sisters! I am blessed with 2 brothers who never stop joking around and the laughter never ends. It is indeed very healing.