A Reminder to Laugh Out Loud (and Often)
Today is World Laughter Day.
And I find myself wondering—when did I last laugh?
I mean really laugh.
Not a polite chuckle or a quick smile, but one of those full-bodied, belly-shaking, tear-streaming, can’t-breathe kind of laughs?
I pause.
And realize… I don’t remember.
No wonder life has started to feel heavy. As if I’m carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders, one quiet sigh at a time.
A Poem Resurfaces
And then, like a forgotten tune floating back in, a poem I haven’t thought of in years comes to mind—
“Laugh and Be Merry” by John Masefield.
I remember my mother reciting it to us when we were children.
Was she trying to teach us the value of laughter? Or was she reminding herself—between chores and worries—to pause and find joy?
The lines echo softly in my memory:
Laugh and be merry, remember, better the world with a song,
Better the world with a blow in the teeth of a wrong.
Laugh, for the time is brief, a thread the length of a span,
Laugh and be proud to belong to the old proud pageant of man.
And these lines that I’ve always loved:
So we must laugh and drink from the deep blue cup of the sky,
Join the jubilant song of the great stars sweeping by,
Laugh, and battle, and work, and drink of the wine outpoured
In the dear green earth, the sign of the joy of the Lord.
There’s such wild beauty and strength in those words—a call to reclaim joy, even in the thick of living.
Finding Laughter in Small Things
Maybe today’s world isn’t overflowing with obvious reasons to laugh.
But if we’re willing to look, we’ll find that laughter still hides in the small things:
– In silly videos of puppies and kittens tumbling over each other without a care in the world.
– In that perfect cup of chai, warming your fingers and soul.
– In old cartoons that once had you doubled over in delight.
– In eating ice cream in the rain, grinning like a child as the rain drops ping off your nose.
– In silly WhatsApp voice notes, inside jokes, or dancing alone in your room like no one’s watching.
Tiny moments, yes.
But those tiny moments are everything.
They are the laughter that keeps the spirit alive.
And the best part? These little joys don’t just light up the present—they become memories. Treasures we carry into darker days, ready to be pulled out when we need them most.
Today, Let’s Laugh
So, this World Laughter Day, I invite you to join me in a simple act of rebellion:
Laugh. Out loud. With abandon.
Laugh at something silly.
Laugh with someone you love.
Or laugh for no reason at all, just to remind your heart what it feels like.
Because life is short. And laughter is one of its greatest gifts.