Key 9 – Laugh Together

Laughing together is one of the greatest privileges of relationships.  To look at life through a lens of play, joy and a spirit of laughter is a healthy perspective—and just plain fun. I love the quote that says, “A joy shared is a joy doubled.  A sorrow shared is a sorrow cut in half.”  Isn’t it beautiful that as we laugh, there is a contagious spirit of fun and lightheartedness, a spirit that invariably draws people together?

To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived—that is to have succeeded.

                                                          —Ralph Waldo Emerson 

Thought to ponder: If I were to choose to share joy and laughter with a friend this week, who would it be?