About This Author
My name is Joy, and I love to write.
Why poetry, here? Because poetry uplifts its writer, and if she is lucky enough, her readers, too. Around us, so many objects abound to write about. Once a poet starts with a smallest, most trivial object, he shall discover that his pen will spill out what is most delicate or most majestic hidden inside him. Since the classics sometimes dealt with lofty subjects with a lofty language, a person with poetry in his soul may incline to emulate that. That is understandable. Poetry does that to a person: it enlarges the soul and gives it wings. Yet, to really soar, a poet needs to take off from the ground.
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Daily Cascade #1089571 added May 18, 2025 at 11:25am Restrictions: None
On Laughter
Prompt: Laughter
"There's great value in being able to step back and laugh at yourself, at life, and at attitudes. Laughter helps you put everything into perspective."
Jim Henson
what do you think about this prompt and do you ever laugh at yourself?
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I am hilariously wacky, at times, mostly due to old age...I think. Well, mostly! As the result, I have no choice but stand back and laugh at myself. And there's a reason for that. Laughing at myself makes the situation seem smaller because I have zoomed out and I'm looking at the situation with humor. Such a situation could be missaying things, repeating what I had just said, petty frustrations, misunderstandings, and above all, forgetfulness, with which I am becoming a master.
So when I laugh, I put an emotional distance between me and the situation. And that situation, now, seems suddenly smaller and more manageable. This way I don't let any disappointment or embarrassment consume me. This isn't dismissing the problem but deflating its power.
Still, laughing at myself is one thing, but hurting others' feelings is another. I draw the line when it comes to others' misfortunes. I mean, laughter may not always be positive for relationships. Some people wouldn't want a stranger laughing at their embarrassing faux pas, for example. This kind of unshared laughter can have the opposite effect. Still, talking for myself, I would probably join that stranger in laughing at myself, anyway.
This is because a good laugh acknowledges the struggle but refuses to let it be the final word. It also connects us and dissolves boundaries. Our mutual laughter signals that we see the world in the same way, if only momentarily, and it boosts our sense of connection.
Then, laughter tells us that life isn't meant to be taken so seriously, all the time. Yes, things may be difficult but they are also comically imperfect, as are we, the people. Somehow, this makes me feel a little more okay.
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