Joy

When I was out with my sister on Friday, we stopped in at Enchanted Forest, a small metaphysical shop in Fort Worth.  I found a small statuette of the laughing Buddha, and couldn't resist it.



In the book of mormon, it states that "Adam fell that men might be, and men are that they might have joy." But how much joy did I ever really experience?



Aren't members counseled to avoid loud laughter and light-mindedness?



I tend to have a very loud laugh. When something strikes me as funny (and I have a quirky sense of humour), I can't help but laugh.



And what's wrong with laughing? Have you ever laughed so much your sides ached and you couldn't breathe? I have. Have you ever laughed so hard that you involuntarily snorted, at which you laughed even more?



Have you ever heard the lamest knock-knock joke ever from a kid who's just barely discovered knock-knock jokes, and when the kid gets to the punchline, s/he laughs like it's the funniest thing in the world? I have. When one of my nephews was at that age, the word "cha-cha" was the punchline to every joke. And I always knew what was coming ("because he was a cha-cha!), and watching him laugh filled me with joy, and I laughed right along with him.



Have you ever laughed at a funeral? I have. And yeah, it's a little embarrassing, but at the same time, the person I was mourning laughed a lot, and I felt that my laughter wasn't really inappropriate after all.



No, I'm not Buddhist. I'm not an -ist or an -ite of any kind. But I bought that little laughing Buddha statue, and he sits on my night stand to remind me that it's okay to laugh.