On Laughter, Pick-Up-Sticks, and New Years Resolutions

December 2018

"Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face." --Victor Hugo

We had a good laugh following Christmas festivities this past week, one sparked by a gift given the children--a box full of games including this vintage one, Pick-Up-Sticks. And the laughter that rang out around the game table was a great pick-me-up in itself, let me tell you. The proclaimed winner was truly dexterous. It was even stated that maybe he had missed his calling--he would have made a great  neurosurgeon!  In reflecting back on the game, and the people around the table, I've tapped the activity as one of my cherished memories of the day.

Laugher--often spontaneous, most likely contagious, and in a lot of ways healing. In the echoes of laughter one often forgets the weightier issues of the day, exchanging them for lighter moments, lifted spirits, and just flat-out fun. We ought to laugh more often.

Thus it is that I set my only resolution for this year: I will open my heart to more laughter. Yes, I will have goals--writing goals, personal goals, goals to help me grow. But resolutions? How many of those do we really follow through on? This is one resolution that is attainable. 

So in the spirit of laughter and its value, I share some of my favorite quotes on the subject (and similar topics):

--- "Earth laughs in flowers." --Ralph Waldo Emerson

--- "As soap is to the body, so laughter is to the soul." --Jewish Proverb

--- "He who laughs, lasts!" --Mary Pettibone Poole 

--- "Humor is the universal solvent against the abrasive elements of life." --former Senator Al Simpson

--- "Joy is the best make-up." --Anne Lamott

--- "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." --Proverbs 17:22

--- "It is bad to suppress laughter. It goes back down and spreads to your hips." --Fred Allen

--- "A good laugh heals a lot of hurts." --Madeleine L'Engle

And speaking of Madeleine L'Engle, I appreciate this story that she tells in her book, A Circle of Quiet, The Crosswicks Journal, Book One: "One of the greatest weapons of all is laughter, a gift for fun, a sense of play which is sadly missing from the grownup world. When one of our children got isolated by a fit of sulks, my husband would say very seriously, 'Look at me. Now, don't laugh Whatever you do, don't laugh.' Nobody could manage to stay long-faced for very long, and communication was reestablished. When Hugh and I are out of sorts with each other, it is always laughter that breaks through the anger and withdrawal...Paradox again: to take ourselves seriously enough to take ourselves lightly."

Do you make resolutions or set goals, or both? How important is laughter to you and your family? Do you have a favorite quote on laughter? What is your favorite table game?

Wishing all who might drop in here a happy new year, with all the pick-me-ups that a good dose of laughter can offer. May laughter visit, lift, and help carry you through any long winter days ahead...

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Madeleine L'Engle's Secret Weapon

"One of the greatest weapons of all is laughter, a gift for fun, a sense of play which is sadly missing from the grownup world. When one of our children got isolated by a fit of sulks, my husband would say very seriously, 'Look at me. Now, don't laugh. Whatever you do, don't laugh.' Nobody could manage to stay long-faced for very long, and communication was reestablished. When Hugh and I are out of sorts with each other, it is always laughter that breaks through the anger and withdrawal. Paradox again: to take ourselves seriously enough to take ourselves lightly." --Madeleine L'Engle, A Circle of Quiet

Smile. You never know who's watching!

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Photo-A-Day: May

"Particularize (v.): to mention particularly or individually; treat in detail; specify; give details."

Here we are, the completion of another month, and I have May's gallery of a photo-a-day to share. Funny how each month seems to zero in on a different "focus."

I tied this month into the word particularize. For one, I've always liked the way that word sounds. (We all have our favorite word, don't we?) And also because I decided to look for a specific detail--particularize if you will--as I went along. And you'll see what that detail is below.

But first, a little glimpse into why detail, or particularizing, is important in writing:

"If those who have studied the art of writing are in accord on one point it is on this: the surest way to arouse and hold the reader is to be specific, definite, and concrete. The greatest writers...are effective largely because they deal in particulars and report the details that matter." --Strunk and White, The Elements of Style

"Fictional reality requires strong specification, rendering, dramatization. The basis of all this is detail, and the best of detail is implicative, in motion, and appealing to the senses." --Oakley Hall, The Art and Craft of Novel Writing.

"The writer of fiction--and I include in this all the works of the imagination, poetry,plays, realistic novels, fantasy--may never tell; he must show, and show through the five senses...The beginning writer finds this difficult. I have to repeat and repeat: fiction is built on the concrete...One must particularize; show do not tell." --Madeleine L'Engle, A Circle of Quiet

"A scene will not be vivid if the writer gives too few details to stir and guide the reader's imagination; neither will it be vivid if the language the writer uses is abstract instead of concrete." --John Gardner, The Art of Fiction

"In stories, as in life, we must sometimes stop everything that's going on. Stop and observe. For storytellers this represents a kind of crossover into visual art because here we paint word pictures, or snap photographs in phrases. --Steven Taylor Goldsberry, The Writer's Book of Wisdom

(Of course there's a caveat here, as Goldsberry adds, "By all means, include description, but never allow it to slow your narrative." But that's a topic for another time...)

With all that said, I decided to look at a specific detail this time around, and the detail was...color. As you scroll down and take a peek at the gallery, you'll see that each row of four pictures focuses on the same color. The color was determined by what photo I snapped in the first of the row. Imagine limiting yourself to finding the next three photos in the same color family. It was a challenge, but a fun challenge--it forced me to be more observant each day.

Themes: Lemon, Cherry, Blueberry, Butterscotch,Vanilla, Pinkalicious, Persimmon, Aquamarine Ice. Can you find the corresponding row?

Thanks for stopping by and viewing my gallery this month!

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