Laughter Therapy - Socializing with Friends
“Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face.” Victor Hugo
Today was a very special day. I took a good friend to our “Wednesday Lunch.” He has recently been in the hospital for most of the last seven months with complications from a stomach aneurism. Most people that suffer from this don’t survive. He has lost more than 100 pounds and is now trying to get his weight and stamina back. Not only is this a tough challenge physically, but it is equally mental. Every time it looked like he was recovering he would suffer a set back with pneumonia and infections. After multiple surgeries he is now on the mend.
I promised my friend that when he got out of the hospital when he was feeling up to it I would take him to our “Wednesday Lunch.” For the past ten years a group of us from high school meet at the same restaurant every Wednesday at 12:00 PM to have lunch. Sometimes we have as many as 14 people at the lunch. Sometimes there is as few as two of us. Who ever can make it shows up. This is a great way to stay in touch with friends and keep up to date on what is happening in our community. I called some of the guys to make a point of showing up, we have all been concerned for him and his family and we wanted to show our support.
This was quite the challenge getting out socially for the first time and can be stressful and tiring. I told my friend that I would take him home as soon as he felt too tired. The weather was perfect and we sat out side. There were six of us today. There is nothing more therapeutic than getting together and laughing with friends.
With in five minutes of getting to the restaurant and seeing the guys he started becoming his old self again. He started cracking jokes and laughing. One friend joked that he lost so much weight that he hadn’t been that light since birth. Everybody laughed. The jokes were flying and there were laughs everywhere. I am sure by the time I drove him home he as exhausted and would probably have to rest, but the laughs and socialization will do him more good in the long run.
When my ex-wife was recovering from her kidney/pancreas transplant it was important to get her out of the house as much as possible and go to movies and make sure that she had lots of laughs. When someone lives through such physical health challenges it is important to get them out and in social settings as soon as possible. Other wise they can become house bound out of fear. They don’t think they are strong enough. They don’t want others to see them in this state. This is where laughter plays such an important role. Laughter can help reduce the stress. And there is nothing more stressful that socializing when recovering from a long illness. As I have always said, “Laughter is a wellness program everyone can afford.”