What makes you laugh?

This is my contribution to the What I Learned From group writing project hosted by Robert Hruzek – the topic this month is Laughter

I had to think about how to approach this topic and decided to spend the day thinking about what makes me laugh. I set out on a train journey ( which I cover in the previous post too!) to Glasgow. I picked up a copy of the Times newspaper – which is may favourite 50 minute read ( the journey time) and an Americano and settled into my seat. Within a few minutes I was laughing at this -

“Birmingham is going to be hot, a government department has claimed, and not in a good way. The birthplace of Ozzy Osbourne is going to see temperatures “increase by a scorching 100C by 2080”, according to a press release from Ed Miliband’s Department of Energy and Climate Change. The alarmist report, spotted by the Dizzy Thinks blog, may merely be a typo, but it is probably best to avoid Birmingham unless absolutely necessary”   http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/celebrity/people/article6826568.ece

So why did I find that so funny – I guess the deadpan final comment just got me.

A few minutes later the train stopped at Falkirk and 2 guys got on dressed in full Scottish kilt gear. This was Wednesday morning at 10.30 am  – I was confused. Then I realised that they were heading to Glasgow for the  Football World Cup crucial game Scotland v Holland ( which by the way did not kick off until 7.30pm or so) and I laughed at that ..

I have mentioned in the past that the tram works in the centre of Edinburgh are so disruptive and really annoy me. When I got off the train in Glasgow and wandered into the main shopping street I saw large groups of guys wearing high visibility orange workmen’s gear and had that awful thought that major roadworks were underway here – until I realised that this is the usual dress for travelling Dutch football fans. Another chuckle.

On this basis I should be laughing my way through every day – but I truly suspect that I was finding things funny on Wednesday because I was specifically thinking about what I found funny. My mind was open to “having a laugh” and it made me feel good.

And other funny incidents came into my mind. Like the time when, while we were sitting in a cafe at Darling Harbour in Sydney,  my daughter quoted the immortal Alf Stewart from the Australian soap “Home and Away”  with a “stone the flaming crows” which made me laugh so hard that I was wheezing and my cheeks hurt. Or when travelling with my colleagues Gordon and Emma on an AirFrance flight back from conference in the US as I was chatting to the charming steward and sat down on the plastic bag with the blanket in it sending out a really rude noise. Childish – definitely – but we laughed about that til we cried.  Twelve years later we still do.

Laughing together can be really therapeutic . Laughing at something can really lift the mood generally.

 I appreciate that times are tough for lots of reasons right now and some people feel that they have nothing to laugh about but if  – like me – you start to think about what makes you laugh you mind find opportunities to do so. 

My Mum used to ask “what’s tickling you” when we were laughing  . I would love to hear what tickles you!