The Gift of Laughter: Advice From an Amazing Gentleman

I'd like to tell you about a man who was a profound inspiration in my life... I never even had the pleasure of speaking with him, but the imprint he has left on my heart and life is truly awesome. This gentleman was in his middle seventies when I had the honor of being in his presence.

He was a retired college professor, and was taking part in talking to my Developmental Psychology class about the aging process. He was very frail, and yet he had a heart and spirit, which were so infectious that they dominated the room. I remember him telling us, "I have over half a dozen different types of cancer, and I know that laughter is the best medicine, because what can I do except to laugh and go on!"

He was actually laughing as he made this statement. I was profoundly moved by this man's attitude. Despite all the pain he dealt with on a daily basis, he still managed to be happy, and even laugh about it all! "Wow," I thought, "if he can laugh about life, who am I to complain? I should be laughing, too!"

Again, I didn't take the opportunity to thank him for the vital lesson he stamped on my heart. He went to be with God about a month later, and I've always regretted not finding a way to talk with him. Yet, his words, and amazing spirit of fun and joy, have forever stayed with me.

When life gets you down, and you feel too hopeless to go on, try giving yourself a good dose of laughter... even if you can only laugh at how incredibly bad things seem right then, it may be enough to give you a little hope for the future.

Like the amazing gentleman of my story said, sometimes we just have to laugh at our situation, and go on in spite of it all. And somehow, some way, that ability to laugh, along with a little faith, will see us through to a new day of promise.

Comments

BEING YOU...

I t's been said that the biggest enemy of 'great' is 'good'. The biggest enemy most of us face is 'ourselves'. The nagging voice says: be like him, you're not worthy; do what he does, follow where others are going. When you're trying to be like someone else, the best you can ever be is "second best" . Why compare yourself with others? No one in the entire world can do a better job of being you than you. We all do it or have done it at some point in our lives; we compare ourselves to others and gauge where we are based on what we observe them to be doing. When you stop comparing yourself to others, you tend to produce more results in your life, you are able to improve yourself, and get a better vision for your life . The easiest thing to be in the world is YOU . The most difficult thing to be is what other people want you to be. Don't let them put you in that position. Until you make peace with who you are, you will never be cont...

Be Yourself

Be an original individual and not a photocopy. However, you may try to change your personality, but you can't. A congolese proverb says, " Wood may remain ten years in the water, but it will never become a crocodile". Beware! Many spend their entire lives trying to change the way they were made. "To be nobody but yourself" says E.E. Cummings " but in a world which is doing its best day and night, to make everybody else - means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight and never stop fighting." The greatest tragedy than can strike an individual is to fail to know himself. Syndney Harris said "Ninety percent of the world's woe comes from people not knowing themselves, their abilities, their frailties and their real virtues". Whatever you are, be a good one. You are number one; everyone in the world is your number two. Wart Disney said, "the more you are like yourself, the less you are like anyone els...

Character..

Character is the aggregate sum total of one's distinctive moral and mental qualities. Every man has in himself a continent of undiscovered character, however it is not a natural endowment we are born with. It is something that each individual forms of itself, with a continuous process in every thought, every action, every deed, every feeling which contributes to the education faculty of our attitudes and habits. Character is just like cloud of smoke, it can never be concealed or hidden because it will find its way out. Character is a magnet that attracts the right people to you. It is the real foundation of all worth while success. "Thoughts leads on purposes, purposes go forth in action, action from habits, habits decides character, and character defines our destiny" (Tryon Edwards). Would your reputation recognize your character if they met in the dark? Would the boy you were be proud of the man you are?

Welcome to Jhene Stephen's Blog...

Search This Blog