Living in the Sandwich Club with a Smile… or a Good Laugh

Thank you so much for the responses to a recent post I wrote about Grandparents and the Sandwich Club. Bev P., from Minnesota, shared with me two additional ‘gold nuggets’ that were so good, I have to share them with all my readers. Thank you, Bev, for these practical ways to help us all wade through the rising waters of Sandwich Club realities.

Since my earlier nuggets all formed around the letter ‘R’, I was not able to come up with any good “R” alliterations, so pardon me if I offer them as sub-points under Remember:

1. Remember to focus on one day at a time. Bev suggests the we work at “keeping our focus only on today’s assignment for us from Him. Do just one thing at a time and leave the rest in His sovereign hands until another day in the future when He may make that the ‘assignment for today’. This requires some mental discipline and much practice! But one-day-at-a-time-living is a vital antidote for exhaustion.” Amen to that, Bev. This was such a great piece of advice.
2. Remember to laugh. This was my favorite nugget. Be sure to allow for frequent times of fun and laughter! There is something therapeutic about laughter. Even Proverbs 17:22 reminds us that “a cheerful heart is good medicine,” and in situations like Sandwich Clubbers often face, this is good medicine we ought to take often.

Thank you, Bev, for sharing these two extra gold nuggets. It’s easy to forget where our focus needs to be, and how important something as simple as a good laugh is for any hard or exhausting situation. Studies abound describing the positive effects of laughter upon our well-being: reduces stress and increases resilience, combats depression, helps relieve pain. and even boosts our immunity. These are reason enough to laugh more often, but there’s one other thing about laughter I especially love– it’s contagious!

Think about it. How many times have you found yourself in a room with other people, maybe feeling a little down, and someone starts laughing or telling a really funny story. It doesn’t take long to find yourself caught up in laughter as well. I’ve seen hilarious things on Facebook or come across different people of all ages laughing about some crazy thing, and without warning, I’m laughing till the tears stream down my face and my side hurts. You know what I mean –you can’t help yourself. And doesn’t it feel good—like something has been lifted off your shoulders?

So, thanks, Bev, for the encouraging reminder not to take life so seriously all the time. When life is hard and when it taxes our energy, why not find something to laugh about – a good hearty laugh. It’s not likely to change the difficulty we’re in, but it is sure a nice respite.

So, I’d like to suggest a few ways to make laughter good medicine:

• Read a funny book, or watch some old clean comedy shows like Abbot and Costello, I Love Lucy, or the Carol Burnett Show. They’re hilarious… for all ages. There are also some very funny comedians who are Christians: Ken Davis, Tim Hawkins, Mark Lowry or Jeanne Robertson, for example. (Just make sure your Depends are on. Okay, that’s not funny 😂).
• Spend time with people who know how to have fun, enjoy life and laugh at themselves.
• Learn to laugh at yourself and your circumstances. Sometimes it’s easier to get angry with ourselves for something dumb we did, instead of laughing about it. At least, it is for me. Caveat: make sure we’re not laughing at the expense of another person. It’s okay to laugh with, but never AT another person. That’s never funny.

This is good medicine for all of us whether we are Sandwich Club members or not. So, in case you’re having a really bad day today, or you just want to laugh for no other reason, check out this video by Jeanne Robertson.

May you find cheer for your heart, no matter how dark it may seem.