Laughter and Tears

I was listening to a post of the Beatles singing "Hey Jude" and thinking music is our universal language. But then I saw that laughter and tears must be. Unless we have a poker face, an expression on our face would definitely help communication – if we are noticing. Music feeds our souls and breaks barriers to connect us – to ourselves, to each other, to our surroundings, to God, but laughter and tears – they speak volumes. And our response to seeing someone either laughing or crying will generally be to want to join them. Our sorrows will come oozing out of us as we attempt to comfort someone in pain. And another’s laughter can cause a bubbling of joy to burst from us. 

That’s how connected we, as human beings, can be. Let that connection happen. Don’t be afraid to join someone in their pain, to cry with them. Sometimes having someone know our pain can be the thing that helps us deal with our own. We are not alone in it. Someone else understands. And let's feel free to join in other people's laughter. What's the point of living if we can't let our joy bubble over and lift our spirits, heal our hearts? Let's learn to be generous with hugs – but ask permission before we hug someone we are not sure will want one. And, though we will want to “test the waters,” when people are suffering, most of them don’t mind and many even appreciate, when we offer a little humor. Laughter can work wonders for pain. We are back to laughter and tears being communicators. So smile, cry, be a little silly, and a lot loving. While some of us need time to ourselves when we are hurting, pain in its various levels is usually easier when it is shared, and laughter is a reliever of pain and a bonder of relationships.