Thursday, September 27, 2007

Live to Laugh, Laugh to Live

I'm loving this book I'm reading, "French Women Don't Get Fat." While in many ways it's written to look at food and the how what (and how!) we eat affects our bodies, it's much more than that. Healthy, holistic lifestyle. Attitudes. Enjoyment of life. Quality over quantity.

One of my favorite chapters so far is on the virtues of laughter. I love to laugh. I love to make people laugh, which sometimes causes me to do stupid things for the sake of a laugh...such is life. It's something I've learned to value for the sheer pleasure of it (laughter, not doing something stupid). Guiliano talks about the natural benefits of laughter and how, as we grow up, we lose the sheer pleasure of it. She finishes said chapter by saying this:

"Tout est une question d'attitude" (Everything's a matter of attitude). The great Provencal writer marcel Pagnol believed that God gave laughter to human beings as consolation for being intelligent. I prefer to believe He made us intelligent so we could appreciate a good laugh." (Guiliano, 242).

I like that. Laughter is a gift and I'm going to choose to open it often. You can hold me to it. Better yet, join me! Laughter truly is the best medicine!

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