Laughter is the best medicine

There are a lot of things in life that we can not choose. But there are plenty of things we can. One of the things we can choose is our mood. I personally believe that life is both too short and too long to be spent in a bad mood. It was my grandma that taught me that. And, hey, I am not getting any younger, so I will take the good mood over the bad.

I don't understand why some people choose to go through life miserably. Some people choose to go through life like this – complaining about everything. Seeing the worst in everything, and mulling over it as if they could actually make things better by worrying and complaining! Oh, life is not fair! Oh, people are so prejudicial! Oh, the social injustices! Oh, the rain! Oh, the snow! Oh, the heat! Oh! Oh! Oh!

When I was a teenager, Grandma used to tell me that I worried too much. Think typical teenagers. Those kids who are pseudo-revolutionaries and worry about all the problems in the world every single minute of their lives as if the amount of worry they do could actually do something for the world? Yup, that was me. Grandma used to say she was too old for these kind of worries.

Grandma is a model for me. She is a fantastic person. When I am old (which will never happen! Me old! Ha! I will always be 12!!!)

Grandma laughs a lot. She has always laughed a lot. She has gone through a lot of hell in life, but she keeps her good mood and she laughs at everything. She is not worried about solving all the problems in the world, and she doesn't pretend she can change the things she can't. The only thing she can change, she does – her attitude, her mood.

She is a great woman and she is very caring towards those who are part of her life. She will turn into The Incredible Hulk if anyone tries to harm any of us. But she is not constantly preoccupied with everything else. Because – it seems that she knows that – she can make her life better or worse simply by not pretending everything depends on her. Have a good time, even when things are not turning out the way you think they should. That's what she seems to say with the way she acts.

Chico Anysio (one of the greatest comedians in Brazil who passed away last week) once said that the Brazilian people are the only ones who can make humor out of their own misery. I am not sure whether or not we are the only ones. What I am sure of is that making humor out of things that are not so fun is a great way to deal with those things and a great way to be happier in life. Because it is here that we find ourselves changing the only one thing we can control in life – our attitude, our mood.

Why am I going on and on about how to be happy and how to choose your own attitude? Because I was impressed at how people can actually be unhappy all the time about anything and everything!

I was watching this hysterically funny video on an old friend's Facebook. The video showed a woman who couldn't parallel park her Smart car to save her life. The people recording the video were having a blast, commenting on the fact that the Spanish woman couldn't parallel park.

As it is usual on Facebook, an unhappy soul decided to poke in during the comments and spill his share of dissatisfaction and hatred. He had to let us all know how the video recorders were damned and stupid for making fun of the fact the person was a woman and a Spaniard.

I tried to lighten his mood. Me, always thinking that people actually want to be helped. Silly me! But, hey, one day I will learn. Here I went, “Hey, bro, chill. Don't we all make jokes about Portuguese and Hicks? Same difference! I am not mad at them and I am a woman.”

Why do some people choose to go through life living miserably and unhappily? This guy replied, in a very aggressive tone, that we only tell jokes about societal prejudices. No one jokes about whites or males. Jokes are against women, blacks, gays, children, etc. We should rebel against such awful injustices of society!

Can you imagine yourself in a circle of friends telling jokes and some freak starts blurting about how jokes are a form of prejudice? That's kind of the same thing that happened on Facebook.

Well, I've learned that trying to win an argument with a complete stranger that pokes on your friend's posting on Facebook by using reason is about as effective as shooting your own foot! It leads no one nowhere worthy! I figured I could choose my attitude – I could either be mad and start a Facebook discussion with a complete stranger, or just chill. I chose to chill. I replied, “Ok, bro. It's your choice. Stay in peace. I am just too old for that kind of attitude. I prefer to just laugh.”

I might have learned something from Grandma, and if that was not what she wanted me to learn, then I guess she did something wrong, because this is what I have learned – It is better to laugh that to cry in life, and I am the only one who can choose one or the other. Laughter is the best medicine!

That's all for now, gang! Come back next week! And chill!