Savage Words: I’m lucky with laughter, and thankful for it

I’ve got a friend, probably my best friend.

We don’t see eye-to-eye on a lot of things. Oftentimes, our interests cross paths, but there are many times when he’s out-of-town for several days chasing down the things that make him tick. Those interests do nothing for me.

But still, we connect, and chat, have a cocktail, and laugh. We probably laugh more than anything else. I truly enjoy being around him.

And it makes us laugh from time-to-time when our age difference sneaks into the conversation. He’s 76. I’m 56.

But that 20-year age difference doesn’t affect – not even a little bit – our connection and ability to talk about anything. We talk about sports, and both agree to disagree on who’s going to win. We talk about politics, and realize a few seconds into it that we shouldn’t. That part makes us laugh, too. And then we both shut up. 

Rich has a big, burly mustache. He told me the other day that only once since 1969 has he shaved it.

1969!

That alone made me chuckle. He was fighting in the jungles of Vietnam when it came into full bloom.

“What were you doing in the summer of ‘69,” he asked me when we were discussing his time in Vietnam.

“I was coming down the birth canal,” I said. We both laughed.

“Dammit,” he said with a big, warm grin. “I always forget that about us.”

I’ve tried growing a mustache, or beard, over the years. It always came with a little shade of red, which was weird. I tried it again last year, and now the red is mixed in with patches of gray. I looked like a damn candy cane walking down the street.

I told Rich that, and he chuckled. And then he suggested I not try it again. 

But that’s what we do. We talk, and laugh. 

After the day nears its end, I look forward to seeing Rich, to talking, to curing the world’s ills, to laughing. Because I know all of those things will happen, especially the laughter.

I’m no doctor, but I gotta believe that laughter is good for the body, good for the soul. In fact, I looked it up. And, it is.

Here’s what I found. Laughter:

Boosts your immunity. I haven’t been sick, like really sick, in years. I can chalk that up to getting a flu shot every year, walking daily, and watching what I eat. But, I’ll give laughter the nod.

Enhances cardiovascular function. I’ve never had heart problems. Rich has. But in a recent heart doctor visit, he got the all-clear. Again, laughter gets the nod.

Provides a light physical workout. Rich and I laugh, but perhaps not hard enough for a light physical workout. But, I’ll take it. Again, I’m giving laughter the nod for additional workout routines.

Reduces stress and anxiety. In a world where it would be quite easy to get stressed and anxious, I’ve never known a remedy quite like laughter. Again, laughter wins this one.

Strengthens relationships. Every time I see Rich, I feel a little better. I truly do notice my mood is better, my interactions with others are better. I suppose seeing a therapist, or something like that could help, but nah - laughter wins again.

Enhances cognitive function. I always hear about ways people can improve their memory, their brain function, their attention span, by working on word puzzles and the sort. How boring. And hard. I’d rather laugh.

So this past Thanksgiving, I took a deep look into what I was thankful for. There are a lot. A lot. I’m thankful for more than I deserve.

But I truly was thankful for Rich. Thankful for the friendship we’ve built. Thankful for the nights of conversation, the days of helping each other out with various things, and the endless laughs.

I guess I’m lucky. 

Professional golfer Gary Player once said, “The harder I work, the luckier I get.”

So, I guess I’ll keep working at getting lucky with laughter.

That being said: Rich, see you tonight?