Laughter

There are two women who work in the department next to mine. That dept and mine are only separated by a wall about 5 and 1/2 feet tall, so we can hear a lot of what goes on over there. Those two girls (both under 35 yoa) often laugh many times everyday. I can't always hear what they are laughing at, but their laughter is very contagious and fun to listen to.

I often wish I could laugh that much. The problem is, I don't laugh out loud very often. I smile a lot and I laugh under my breath some. I enjoy a good joke or pun. I make silly comments and puns. It's all good times. But I don't laugh very much.

Here in the Sheriff's Office I hear men laugh quite a bit, especially the men in the Criminal Impact Unit. They laugh a lot. I really like to hear their laughter. Maybe they are laughing at criminals (criminals can be quite funny, you know).

For me, I find that men's laughter is more enjoyable to listen to than women's. Their laughter makes me happy. Sometimes women have high-pitched laughter that can grate on me. Sometime they make sounds like witch cackles or coyotes, but nevertheless I enjoy the laughing.

Have I told you that when Jen and I used to work together on her algebra at the kitchen table, sometimes we got to laughing and we would laugh on different pitches but in the same rhythm? It was like laughing a duet. And then that would make us laugh more. Good times.

So today, let's try to find something funny enough to make us laugh out loud. It activates the immune system and decreases the stress hormone.

Crime and Punishment

A few years ago I remember hearing a sergeant at the Sheriff's Office laughing out loud every few minutes. She was down the aisle from me so I couldn't hear what she was talking about or who else was there. When she came by my desk I asked her what was so funny. This is the story she told.

She and another officer had been dispatched out to a call at a residence. When the older man came to the door, he was only wearing his underwear--nothing else. When the man saw who was at the door, he said he would go put something else on.

When he came back to the door, he had put something else on alright. It was a hunting cap with ear flaps. That's all. Underwear and a hunting hat.

While the other officer was trying to talk to the man, Cindy, the sergeant, started to laugh. She tried to hold it in but the laughter just kept getting louder and louder. After some explanation to excuse her, she finally had to step outside the porch--where she could still be heard by the man and the officer very clearly.

That's the story she told every few minutes at the Sheriff's Office while laughing rather hysterically each time. It was a good story.