Laughing in a tough time.

Laughter is something that people suggest you do when something funny happens. Many people even say that laughter is the best medicine and that is true when you are down. Sometimes laughing can ease the pain of a difficult setback or failure. Other times when the challenge is so small and you should be able to clear it with your eyes closed that will just make you not wanna laugh but if you do it can make it easy to get through it. We all have those kinds of memories in our past but some stand out more than others. I have many memories of both when it should have been easy to laugh but could not and when, the situation called for more seriousness but I laughed not out of humor but out of hurtingness. For example the time I was attacked by a dog and I should not have laughed but in the end I did. Or when I lost a minor challenge on my game over and over and it got me so frustrated. But the way laughter works is we often laugh to ease the pain of something tough. That is what this is about.

So my story has to do with the passing of my grandmother. It was a wintery day and I was at a school dance. It was the last dance of my 8th grade year and my last dance before high school. I had already been having a terrible evening but I had managed to get through it by laughing along with some of my friends. But all of the sudden I got a terrible feeling in my gut that something had happened. But I was at the time unaware of what had happened. So I was at the time able to laugh not knowing what had happened. I went along in the evening until finally it was time to head home. I walked to the car my dad was driving to pick me up when I saw that he was in tears. I asked what was wrong and that is when he told me my grandmother had passed.
When we got to my grandfather’s house I did not know how to respond. At the time I guess I was so numb that I started laughing slightly but not out of humor but out of mourning and pain. Honestly that was how most of my family was at the time. I felt as though there were a lot things I probably should have said to my grandmother before she passed but at the same time I did not feel that I was ready to say goodbye. I guess it was the same way for my grandfather especially since he was one of my best friends. If there are a few things I could have said it would be that I loved him and I wish him the best wherever he is now. I honest to God wish that they were still here but at this point it is just me ranting on so I should probably get back on topic. So to put it bluntly it was one of the worst evenings of my life due to the fact that I knew their time was coming to an end. The worst part is that my father’s parents are not that close to us and my dad’s mom has some issues with my dad. But I digress.

I will admit it was not easy to deal with the passing of my grandmother and not many years later my grandfather. They were some of the most important people in my life but they also taught me some valuable lessons. One of those lessons is that there is a time to laugh, a time to mourn, and even a time for both at the same time. Honestly they would probably be glad to see me laugh in such a hard time because of their faith and their beliefs. Honestly it is still hard to think about it even today but it is a lot easier to laugh knowing where they are. Espcially since they had such strong belief. But what really got me through was the ability to find joy in laughing that I knew they were in a better place. I suggest if you are struggling to find joy in a situation to take a step back and just find some friends to laugh with. Find some joy in something else and renew your emotional state when you tackle that tough situation.

Photo on Foter.com