Don’t Wait, Laugh!
If The Moment Doesn’t Come, Create It!
Key Takeaways
Laughter is spontaneous, but always accessible.
You do not have to wait for permission to be amused.
Shared and solo laughter both strengthen resiliency.
Theme
We often treat laughter like an accident. But it can and should be cultivated intentionally.
Mini Teaching
My wife, Tami, talks to herself constantly. Then she smiles. Then she laughs. Then I laugh. She’s completely entertained by herself, and me with her. There is no dialogue, no audience, and no interaction—it is simply the playfulness of the mind and relating to herself positively, purely, and playfully. She is her own best friend, and it’s one of the most endearing things about her. I relish the moments when I spot her lips moving when she thinks no one is looking. “Who you talking to?” I’ll ask. “Myself!” she sweetly replies.
My laughter is as containable as water through a sieve. I laugh at everything, including things that don’t always land for other people. It doesn’t matter. The goal isn’t performance, it’s self-orientation. Laughter signals something to my mind, my heart, my body and to the room: we are safe enough to play. We are unapologetic and unabashed by our humor.
We don’t have to give up our laughter just because we need to grind through something with our full attention. Two things are often true, and the presence of one doesn’t extinguish the other.
Practice
Today, create laughter on purpose. Try one or more of these:
Text the person who makes you laugh hardest and tell them you want to get silly.
Rewatch a scene that has made you laugh before—not something new, something historically golden.
Make a joke in a moment that feels slightly too serious and notice what shifts.
Laugh out loud at something mildly funny instead of suppressing it.
Tell a self-deprecating story that is actually safe and playful, not shame based.
Spend two minutes narrating your own life like a nature documentary.
Give the critical, judging parts of your mind the day off. Invite in the parts of your personality that yearn to play and be seen.
Integration
If nothing else changes this week, let your laughter be more frequent than your restraint.
Reflection Question
The next time you feel tension or seriousness arrive, identify the beliefs that keep you from laughing or reaching out for play. Is there an old story that is keeping you from joy?
With love & light,
John Moos, MD
Soul Surgeon