“A cheerful heart is good medicine…” Proverbs 7:22

Did you ever notice how a good laugh goes a long way in brightening your mood?  One day last spring, I was feeling particularly burdened by life, by routine, by the struggle to stay ahead; and the need to run errands with the boys was adding to my feelings of angst. I remember frantically attempting to head out the door for that day’s adventures, and in the process, I knocked over a pile of pans that were stacked by the door (treasures collected at an estate sale earlier in the week).  I was immediately frustrated; and just as I was about to give in to the urge to sit down on the floor and cry, I heard Keilan’s giggle. My frustration waned as his giggle grew into a belly laugh, as he  folded in half gasping for air between giggles, and as he repeatedly exclaimed, “Mom…Go…Boom!”  I scooped up the giggling puddle of boy he had become and carried him out to the car. And as we continued on our way, I found myself laughing along.  I would still have a mess of pans to clean up when we got home and I still had errands to run, but a giggle-fest was just the thing I had needed to refocus my perspective and to challenge me to find joy, to choose joy, over angst.  Proverbs 7:22 reminds us that “A cheerful heart is good medicine.” and on that day, those Keilan giggles were just the medicine I needed.

Ten years ago, on a December night that was dark and cold, a few close friends and I decided to go to a movie.  We were tired and burdened by the daily grind, but we went anyway. The movie was Elf, and we laughed. I am not saying that the movie was magical; but rather, it was well-timed and well-received by our exhausted selves.  The main character, Buddy the elf, gave us many lines to quote to one another throughout the year whenever we needed a good laugh.  “I just like to smile. Smiling’s my favorite,” became a favorite quote of ours. It served as a reminder of a fun time we had shared; and it also served as a challenge, as a reminder, to smile.

A year later, the movie was being released on dvd, and we laughed as we remembered how we had enjoyed the movie throughout the year.  Patrick and I decided to buy the movie and to invite our friends over to watch it again on the day it was released.  We gathered a few more friends and a pile of Christmas cookies, and we made time to laugh again.  The movie didn’t disappoint; and neither did the company.  We laughed at the movie, and we laughed at ourselves.  I know it is a silly reason to get together, but we have gathered every year since then to watch the movie, to laugh, and to reconnect as friends.  We quote the movie and we challenge each other to embrace the small things we have to celebrate: “Good news! I saw a dog today…”

I love how Buddy celebrates the small stuff…

Last week, Patrick and I hosted our tenth annual Elf party. Over the years, we have celebrated with new friends and old, and this year we celebrated not just with friends but with our two little boys as well. I enjoy celebrating “the small stuff;” the everyday moments that make the journey better, and that is what the Elf party represents to me. Joy is in laughter, in choosing to smile, in embracing something silly, in good times with friends, and in celebrating the crashing pans of an otherwise serious day.

So today I will choose joy in laughter, I will celebrate the small stuff, and I will embrace a life lived with a cheerful heart.

Kai’s First Elf Party 🙂

“A cheerful heart is good medicine…” Proverbs 7:22