One of the healthiest things we can do is laugh. A belly laugh is good for the belly. I have a theory horses put up with us — not only because we feel good on their backs and the outside
One of the healthiest things we can do is laugh. A belly laugh is good for the belly.
I have a theory horses put up with us — not only because we feel good on their backs and the outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man — but because when we laugh we sound like them when they whinny. Do horses have a sense of humor? You bet’cha. My leopard appaloosa had a sense of humor bigger than all outdoors. He was full of tricks. He loved to come galloping over to greet me, skim close with a friendly demeanor, then give his rump a twist and set me on my ass.
Once when I was bathing another horse and Beauregard’s nose was out of joint, he picked up the hose when I turned my back and dropped the end neatly down the back of my shirt. All the other horses in the barn got a kick out of that one. I must admit, doused to the skin, I, too, got a giggle. It started a water fight and everyone got his quotas of chortles for the day, only I had the hose. It would have made a good circus act.
A handsome Canadian Mounty said, “Always leave ‘em laughing.” Works for old girls or boyfriends, too.
Milton Berle said, “Laughter is an instant vacation.” I think it’s an instant holiday. A holiday with cheese and crackers and a bottle of icy cold Chardonnay. With sunshine and bird song and a sweet whispery titter.
Once, when I was a little girl, a stern-faced minister said, “Think! What would you do if you met God face to face?” Me, the devout nonbeliever, ruined his day by responding, “I’d invite him in for a glass of wine.” Sadly, it didn’t even get a smile from him, but the class snickered.
Chuckles help when the conversation gets too hot to handle. Lighten up guys. Cool it.
Another favorite author, Stephen King said, “You can’t deny laughter; when it comes, it plops down in your favorite chair and stays as long as it wants.”
There are grins and smiles, roars, guffaws and jeers. With beers.
There are prat falls, Irish jigs, and kiddy skippity hops. Did you ever think how silly it was to skip rope? Haven’t seen a skip rope in years. We should bring them back and pass them out to grumps. Remember kites? Talk about freedom and joy. A red paper kite, some long string wound ‘round a stick, and a laughing breeze. The swoops, the spins, the swirls. The joyful rush of hauling them in when a squall threatened. Once my father brought me a Chinese rice paper owl kite that every kid in the neighborhood took turns flying.
Another dear friend of mine, Bertrand Russell said, “Never trust a guy who cannot say it simply.” I think this is better and it’s a Bettejo, “Never trust a guy who can’t laugh at himself.”
• Bettejo Dux is a Kalaheo resident and the author of “The Scam: A madcap romp through North Shore Kauai.”
