When was the last time you laughed, really laughed? I’m not talking about a chuckle, a ha-ha, a blip on the radar screen of your psyche, but a true belly aching, can’t hold it in another second, wave of laughter that escaped from your inner being so hard, tears streamed from your eyes and you charged the room with energy? Laughter is a wonderful friend, teacher, comforter, and when enjoyed at no one’s expense, door to wisdom.
Laughter is the great unifier, bringing together people of diverse backgrounds with opposing positions, into a common circle of humility, joy, and transcendence. Even the most staunch defensive ego, disarms and throws down its weapons, when seduced by laughter’s irony and insight. The pure pleasure of laughter can even override passion and death. I like to imagine laughter as the Goddess of Equality, making high and low, good and bad, intelligence and ignorance, all acceptable and livable. Laughter is the secret mantra of all gods and without it no one enters the kingdom of heaven.
If I could give the world one gift, I would give the gift of laughter and ease. Ease is the sister of laughter. Forever they hold hands and forever they pour their cups of joy into each other’s cup. If we are fortunate, we can learn to swim in their waters and see through their eyes.
Last week I was drinking a cup of coffee in a favorite café. I put my iPhone down on the table, tired of tweeting, and started thinking of escaping from the urge of productivity. I always know when it’s time to stop working because I start imagining sipping red wine with my wife. I can envision her sitting across from me, suggesting a new restaurant, vacation spot, or a fresh scheme for early retirement. It’s always the same scenario, but it always seems like the first time, and curiously enough, I always believe we’ll make it to one of our destinations.
The sound of ceramic coffee cups meeting wooden tables mixed with music, whispers, and loud voices. A woman, almost shouting, asked, “Don’t you hate it? It’s just another workday for me. All the shopping, money, boring relatives, ungrateful kids; I can’t wait ‘til it’s over, the whole Goddamned thing. I have all this work and it’s all going to get behind. I mean, what the hell does my company care about Christmas?”
There it was, a single, honest, confession and I started thinking: “She’s right! What the hell does anyone care about Christmas?” I wasn’t thinking about religion, I was thinking about joy, happiness, loved ones, laughter, and celebration. Christmas isn’t just a religious holiday for Christians, it’s a national holiday, when all of us celebrate the sentiment, whether we’re religious or not. That’s why Santa is so much a part of the celebration.
Santa is fat before diabetes, obesity, and fast food. Santa is dressed in red with rosy cheeks and has little elves, because it’s his way of saying, “I love everyone like a big red heart! I’m bringing gifts to all the children, no matter their background, because all children are cool! Mrs. Claus and I dig everyone and we’re the life of the party! We bring gifts and figs! We soar on a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer in all kinds of weather! We do what no one does, we bring everyone together!”
Outside the café, I brushed the first snow of the season off my car. Snowflakes, the size of figs, gently fell. Twilight softened the sounds of traffic as the streetlights lit with a buzz. I felt both excited and sad. The woman inside was still talking with her friends. She was right. It was disappointing. We’ve all worked so hard, we’ve tried so many times to make things better, and still here we are, a society and world, left with so many defeats. We blame each other, we protect ourselves, we cling to religion, politics, nationality, science, but when exactly has the world been any different?
I know it sounds fictitious and maybe it was too much coffee, too much work, too many tweets, but I swear, just outside my peripheral vision, for a brief moment, I saw a red flash and heard a brief belly roll of peeling laughter. Christmas is real, if we want it to be. Christmas is as much love as we feel, and if we don’t feel much love, Christmas can be a door, like laughter, to start feeling more love. This Christmas, let’s forget our differences and start laughing again like children. Do yourself a favor: forget your job, forget ambition, forget who you think you are and what your life is about. Stop waiting and start living, and you will return to innocence. It's always within your reach. Someone you love is waiting for you to remember him or her. It's the best gift you can give. Just remember.
