Motivation Mondays: Love & Laughter

“When you awaken love and laughter in your life, your mind lets go of fear and anxiety, and your happy spirit becomes the healing balm that transforms every aspect of your human experience.” Jesse Dylan

Motivation Mondays: Love, Laughter & Healing

If you can love, and if you can laugh, totally, wholeheartedly, your life will become such a bliss and a benediction,not only to yourself but to everyone else. You will be a blessing to the world. Osho
Feelings aroused by the touch of someone’s hand, the sound of music, the smell of a flower, a beautiful sunset, a work of art, love, laughter, hope and faith – all work on both the unconscious and the conscious aspects of the self, and they have physiological consequences as well. Bernie Siegel

What gives you love and laughter? My question is really about our own personal enjoyment not what we get from others around us or in our lives. If you were left on an Island by yourself, what will give you love and laughter? It’s an interesting point to mull over because we spend  a lot of time with our own thoughts, ideas and jokes and if we can’t tap into it during tough times, we miss an opportunity for deep reflection. We create the first underpinnings of meaning by creating it in our inner life. Some see it as day dreaming, others as the healing love we give to others by imagining ways to serve. However you choose to envision this, make sure to make time to love yourself, laugh with/at yourself, and seek outlets for rest and healing. I take walks regularly on my local aqueduct and during that time, I might listen to music, an audible book on tape or just the sounds of nature around me. Sometimes, a person walks by and we exchange a smile, at other times it might be someone I know and we share a laugh. On occasion, it might be someone hurting with a sad look on their face and we exchange a knowing glance of concern and hopefully send each other wishes for healing. But all of those emotions and reactions begin within us… same goes for anger and rage. They all serve a purpose and the key is to move forward once the matter is addressed.

READ – Life, Love, Laughter: Celebrating Your Existence by Osho

A Story: A River Without End
Some years ago a successful American had a serious identity crisis. He sought help from psychiatrists but nothing came of it, for there were none who could tell him the meaning of life—which is what he wanted to know. By and by he learned of a venerable and incredibly wise Master Teacher/guru who lived in a mysterious and most inaccessible region of the Himalayas. Only that Master Teacher, he came to believe, would tell him what life meant and what his role in it ought to be. So he sold all his worldly possessions and began his search for the all-knowing Master Teacher.
He spent eight years wandering from village to village throughout the Himalayas in an effort to find him. And then one day he chanced upon a shepherd who told him where the Master Teacher lived and how to reach the place. It took him almost a year to find him, but he eventually did. There he came upon his guru, who was indeed venerable, in fact well over one hundred years old. The guru consented to help him, especially when he learned of all the sacrifices the man had made towards this end.
“What can I do for you, my son?” asked the guru.
“I need to know the meaning of life,” said the man. To this the guru replied, without hesitation, “Life,” he said, “is a river without end.” “A river without end?” said the man in a startled surprise. “After coming all this way to find you, all you have to tell me is that life is a river without end?” The guru was shaken, shocked. He became very angry and he said, “You mean it is not?”

“Laughter heals all wounds, and that’s one thing that everybody shares. No matter what you’re going through, it makes you forget about your problems. I think the world should keep laughing.” Kevin Hart

Motivation Mondays: Love, Laughter & Healing

Seriousness is a kind of disease: it is the cancer of the soul. . . . It is only through love and laughter and a tremendous joy in life that you start feeling the presence of something that is beyond. Osho
The best things in life are free. And it is important never to lose sight of that. So look around you. Wherever you see friendship, loyalty, laughter, and love…there is your treasure. Neale Donald Walsch

What role does humor play in YOUR life? I’ve always enjoyed a good laugh and it could be at my expense. Laughter has a way of breaking the ice and relieving tension when we are taking everything around us so seriously. Sometimes, we open the door to other people’s negativity and stuff, and we forget that the rage or anger they are expressing has more to do with them and less to do with us. We have control over our reactions to situations and we can choose to see the humor in it, the intended message or our own warped version of the facts. When we take a moment to step back, humor can help us gain perspective and it is a natural healer.  So, instead of waiting for others to give you permission to have a good laugh, see it in your own life. I recently read Tiffany Haddish’s book and it had me laughing out loud. Mind you, some of her stories were painful and mind-shifting yet, in some of the darkest moments … she injected humor or found something that added a layer of ironic humor to her experience. We can reach deep inside of ourselves to tap into the humor that is bubbling under the rage, we need to practice listening and loving ourselves more to get there. Just live your life with a balance of love and laughter and, on those cloudy days,  you will understand it. Come back for the rest.

READ – The Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish

Treat me nice, Miss Mandy Jane by Paul Laurence Dunbar

Treat me nice, Miss Mandy Jane,
Treat me nice.
Dough my love has tu’ned my brain,
Treat me nice.
I ain’t done a t’ing to shame,
Lovahs all ac’s jes’ de same;
Don’t you know we ain’t to blame?
Treat me nice!
Cose I know I ’s talkin’ wild;

Treat me nice;
I cain’t talk no bettah, child,
Treat me nice;
Whut a pusson gwine to do,
Wen he come a–cou’tin’ you
All a–trimblin’ thoo and thoo?
Please be nice.
Reckon I mus’ go de paf

Othahs do:
Lovahs lingah, ladies laff;
Mebbe you
Do’ mean all the things you say,
An’ pu’haps some latah day
W’en I baig you ha’d, you may
Treat me nice!

The details for Motivation Mondays are below. Join in! The themes for APR 2018/MAY 2018 are:

MAY

05/06   –  01 May Day, 03, National Day of Prayer, 03 World Press Freedom Day, 04 Star Wars, 05 Cinco De Mayo
05/13  –  13 HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY,  16 Ramadan starts, 19 Armed Forces Day,
05/20  –   20 Pentecost Day,  23 World Turtle Day, 24 National Brother Day
05/27  –   28 Memorial Day,  30 World MS Day,  31 World No Tobacco Day

JUNE

06/03   –  05 World Environment  Day, 06, D Day, 08 National Best Friend Day,
06/10   –  13 St Anthony,  15 Eid al-Fitr,
06/17  –   17 Father’s Day, 18 Int’l. Picnic Day, MTV Movie Awards 19 Juneteenth, 20 World Refugee Day, 21 Summer Solstice, Int’l. Yoga Day, World Music Day
06/24   –  24 St John the Baptist, 26 Day against Drug Abuse/Illicit Trafficking

Are You Looking for Ways to Stay Creative in 2018?

– Join the Daily Post Post-a-day or Post-a-week Challenge.

— Join the BlogHer Writing Lab

More Below!
“I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge. That myth is more potent than history. That dreams are more powerful than facts. That hope always triumphs over experience. That laughter is the only cure for grief. And I believe that love is stronger than death.” Robert Fulghum

Motivation Mondays: Love & Laughter

Motivation Mondays: Love & Laughter

Motivation Mondays: Love, Laughter & Healing

To me there is nothing more sacred than love and laughter, and there is nothing more prayerful than playfulness. Rajneesh
Don’t forget that in the midst of all your pain and heartache, you are surrounded by beauty, the wonder of creation, art, your music and culture, the sounds of laughter and love, of whispered hopes and celebrations, of new life and transformation, of reconciliation and forgiveness. William P. Young

Are you living your life or someone else’s? How can we live in love and laughter? I know that we all go through challenging experiences in our lives and how we choose to look at them helps us get through the dark times.  Instead of wasting time being envious about how others are living their version of perfection, focus on living yours to the best of your ability. Recently,  I was discussing with a close friend that one of the joys I derive from writing this weekly Monday post is that it helps me gain perspective; it reminds me to step back and move with a bit of lightness in my step. I share the things I need to learn and what I am experiencing on a topic I’ve been reflecting on, so having a public forum to exchange views with readers is a great opportunity for us all … yours truly included. That said, I  read an article recently that raised some very helpful pointers that I know will help all of us on our journey.  Psychology Today  suggests that we can increase our love and laughter quotient and enrich our lives if we incorporated the following principles into our lives:

• Look for the good and be the positive.
• Learn from mistakes but let go of past what-ifs.
• Laugh whenever you can, especially at yourself.
• Learn to listen and listen to learn.
• Lift up others.
• Lead with grace.
• Lose with faith.
• Live with hope.
• Love.

All are excellent principles to help us move our lives forward and I invite you to lift yourself up and enjoy a good laugh… it can be the beginning of healing old wounds for you. More on this later!

READ – How to Live, Love, and Laugh What I learn from Don Schweingruber

Love, Laughter, And You by Harry J. Couchon Jr

Three things that make my life complete
Are love, laughter, and you, my sweet
The laughter has lasted since day one
Loving you darling, has been so much fun

Whether it’s giggles at the kitchen table
Or all out laughter wherever we’re able
Each and every laugh, a symbol of our love
You’re my everything, all I ever drempt of

Our love, now that’s a bit more serious
Shining through when our laughter is delirious
Starting the day with love’s tenderness
Saying goodnight with a sweet caress

Love, laughter, and of course you.
You bring into my life the other two
From the day we met, and for every single day
Love and laughter in our lives will stay

Have a happy, peaceful and productive week ahead!

Any Zen Antics stories via

Positive Motivation Tip:  Look within and lift your spirit up with love and laughter

Motivation Mondays is open to anyone who wishes to share a motivational quote, photo, personal challenge or a post that encourages others to start the week on an upbeat note.
Basic Instructions: Each week, I will have a motivation word to help us create a response. (See listed words for the months above/below)
Email address: You may email or share your post as a comment and I will add it to the round-up of related posts. email it to: contact(@)mirthandmotivation(.)com
Category tag: – Share your post using Motivation Mondays
Twitter hashtag: – Use this on Twitter #MotvnM
Dedicated Page: There is a dedicated page for Motivation Mondays. It has the same instructions and will include other helpful tools and a link to the round-up
Facebook Page: MotivationOnMondays Join our page and add your post and/or any motivational piece you think will be helpful to others.
Facebook Community: We have a Facebook community forum to compliment the page. It serves as another way to share uplifting posts and thoughts. Please join in and add your voice.

Badge: – I created a fun badge using PicMonkey’s free photo editing tools. You can create your own, use WordPress’ integrated tool on your blog or you are welcome to use mine. (see dedicated page)
Tag: – Motivation Mondays
Hashtag: – #MotvnM

Related Posts

• Motivation Mondays: Observing Memorial Day (mirthandmotivation)
• Motivation Mondays: VALUE YOURSELF (mirthandmotivation)
• Motivation Mondays: LIFE CHOICES (mirthandmotivation)
• Motivation Mondays: Why Mother’s Day Matters (mirthandmotivation)
• Motivation Mondays: CLOSED DOORS (mirthandmotivation)
• Motivation Mondays: A Passion For BOOKS (mirthandmotivation)
• Motivation Mondays: VOLUNTEER – #NationalVolunteerWeek (mirthandmotivation)
• Motivation Mondays: PERFECT CONDITIONS (mirthandmotivation)
• Motivation Mondays: BEING HAPPY (mirthandmotivation)
• Motivation Mondays: REBIRTH (mirthandmotivation)
• Motivation Mondays: International Day of Happiness & Global Goals(mirthandmotivation)
• Motivation Mondays: St. Patrick’s Day Traditions, Toasts & Tales (mirthandmotivation)
• Motivation Mondays: International Women’s Day #TimeisNow (mirthandmotivation)
• Motivation Mondays: HEART & HISTORY MATTER (mirthandmotivation)
• Motivation Mondays: BLACK PANTHER REVIEW (mirthandmotivation)
• Motivation Mondays: Beyond Valentine’s Day (mirthandmotivation)
• Motivation Mondays: Heart of Transitions (mirthandmotivation)
• Motivation Mondays: Disrupt Your Paradigms (mirthandmotivation)
• Motivation Mondays: Walk In the Light #MLKDay(mirthandmotivation)
• Motivation Mondays: Stumbling Blocks (mirthandmotivation)
• Motivation Mondays: Happy New Year  (mirthandmotivation)
• Motivation Mondays: Suicide Prevention Awareness Month  (mirthandmotivation)
• Motivation Mondays: BREATHE (mirthandmotivation)
• Motivation Mondays: REST (mirthandmotivation)
• Motivation Mondays: World Health Day – Depression #LetsTalk (mirthandmotivation)
• Motivation Mondays: Why Does #MLKDAY  Matter? (mirthandmotivation)
• Motivation Mondays: World Mental Health Day (mirthandmotivation)
• Motivation Mondays: RELAXATION (mirthandmotivation)
• Motivation Mondays: Matters Of The Heart (mirthandmotivation)
• Motivation Mondays: PAIN #mondaymotivation (mirthandmotivation)
• Motivation Mondays: I Have A Dream #MLKDay (mirthandmotivation)
• Motivation Mondays: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Most Inspired Quotes(mirthandmotivation)

PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: All Photos, healing, Love, laughter, via Pixabay,  AND/OR  via  Wikipedia…

Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet