I Believe in the Power of Laughter by Clee Shy

I believe in the power of laughter. Yesterday, like most days, I called out the wrong answer in fourth period calculus. Mr. Wergin had asked what the integration of 4x^3 + 2x, and, like an idiot, I enthusiastically responded with 12x^2 + 2, which is obviously the derivative. Of course the entire class began chuckling at my error, and just when my face was turning the color of a ripe tomato, I realized mixing up calculus laws was not the end of the world. My friends were not going to avoid me at lunch; my grade point average was not going to drastically drop. As soon as the momentary embarrassment passed, I was not going to be the kid gave that the stupid answer; I would revert back to the redhead in the back. With this realization, I too began to laugh. That laugh immediately erased the unnatural redness from my face and put me back in the mood for integrations.

One of laughter's biggest assets is that it is universal. No matter what language a person may speak, they understand laughter. Different languages are not even necessary for laughter's power to connect people, they can just be strangers. My participation in high school activities has presented me with many opportunities to meet new people. During these encounters, it is important to quickly establish a connection. Because laughter is something everyone shares, an excellent way to create this connection is to crack a couple of jokes. The best jokes to use are those that are self-deprecating; one never knows how open the other party is to being the butt of a joke.

Laughter is also vital to the experiences I have on a daily basis. I start nearly all weekdays by waking up at seven thirty, barely slipping out the door at eight, and skating into class two minutes before the bell. As one might imagine, I am not a morning person and can barely verbalize a sentence before eight thirty. My saving grace is my first period class. I am surrounded by great classmates, some of which I have known since I was six, that are morning people. As soon as I reach my seat, numerous quips and jibes have been thrown my way, requiring me to respond with more than a grunt. The rowdy atmosphere is infectious and immediately I am laughing along with the rest of my peers, setting the tone for a fantastic day.

Not only does laughter put me in a good mood, it also has the ability to bring me out of a bad one. Once in a while, my pleasant demeanor is interrupted by an evil twist of fate; for instance, the lunch that day has the word breakfast in it. These instances are fortunately few and far between, but when they do occur my mood slips into the dark regions of despair. Luckily for me, my friends are not so easily devastated. They can undoubtedly lift my spirit with a delightful anecdote about Ur Mama or an amusing narrative about their newly acquired bruise. Because of these lighthearted comrades, my emotional state rarely suffers for long.

Laughter is a universal sensation that has the ability to put me in a good mood and to pull me out of a bad one. Life is too short to not enjoy every second and the more laughter a person has the more pleasurable life becomes. One needs to surround oneself with people that appreciate humor to fully value the power of laugher. It is quite difficult to remain depressed in the company of people that are so jovial. Thanks to a blunder during fourth period calculus, I finally understand the need for and power of laughter.