THE HA-HA WORLD HAS SHRUNK
Where Did All the Laughter Go?
Is this one more thing the pandemic robbed us of?
What happened to laughter?
I’m not talking about chuckling at jokes made by late night comedians poking fun at Trump and other wingnuts constantly making fools of themselves — providing endless fodder for entertainment.
Nor am I thinking of the easy laughter among friends gathered around a dinner table sharing wine and anecdotes about kids, parents, husbands or whatnot.
Certainly not the giggling at someone’s naughty joke you’ve already heard too many times but feel obligated to laugh as if you’ve never heard it before.
No, I’m talking about the deep, roaring, from-the-diaphragm belly laughter that shakes your entire body. That draws tears from your eyes and stream down your face.
Laughter that actually hurts — that causes muscles in the abdomen to expand and contract; that flex, stretch, and contort your face muscles, and in some case create the urgency to pee.
That’s the kind of laughter I’m missing these days.
It seems like this too is one of those things associated with the stress-induced years of the global pandemic.
