While sitting around the lunch table in tenth grade my friend Mike accidentally squirted himself in the face with a juice box. He thought it was empty and squeezed the daylights out of the thing, causing streams of apple juice to just drench him completely. His hair soaked, his eyebrows dripping, his mouth slowly and painfully dropped into a Perfect O of Shock while everybody around him just rolled with laughter.
For years after that, whenever that crystal-clear image of Mike’s sticky, juicy, and surprised face suddenly popped into my head, I burst out laughing. I just couldn’t help it. I had a Laugh Echo.
Yes, The Laugh Echo is when you laugh out loud after suddenly remembering something funny that happened a while ago. It’s a random and hilarious event that can occur with family, with friends or — for bonus points — by yourself in a crowded public place.
Now according to our egghead pals at Wikipedia, laughing is great for us. Yes, it helps protect our heart muscles, lowers our blood sugar after a meal, helps us sleep, juices up our antibodies and blood flow, and gives us mini cardio workouts throughout the day. Honestly, have you ever seen babies just laughing uncontrollably for no reason? They know the score and are probably just remembering something funny that happened in the womb. Folks, it’s like I always say: We can learn much from The Baby.
So next time you let out a big Laugh Echo in public, just love it lots. Because life’s too short, my friends. Let’s squeeze in as many laughs as we can get. Then at the end, when we’re old and gray, when our bones are brittle and our hair is hay, how will it feel when we look each other straight in the eyes and just burst out laughing?
I think we both know the answer to that.
AWESOME!
Ahhh, the Laugh Echo! One of my favourite of the Awesome Things. It can be so embarrassing when that laughter bubbles up inside you at a random time, but in an awesome sort of way…
This is so very awesome. My friends always look at me as if I was insane, but if I’m alone I whip out my phone and pretend to be laughing at a text. People still look at me strangely though. This can also be very inconvenient. For instance, in the middle of my pre-calc class, trying so very very hard not to laugh. Absolutely love this though, it brings back so many happy memories :)
This is definitely one of the best, and I love it when it happens even when the circumstance is entirely inappropriate.
All the best to you Neil, for another awesome year!!!
xx, nicole.
Love it! I’m surprised Neil never included a post dedicated solely to our egghad pals at wikipedia he references so often! :)
One New Years, my step-daughter returned to Canada; to our province before going home to her province. Three different time zones and many adventures, mulling about her jet-lagged, pretty little head, from her 6 week vacation in Japan!
We had to stop at Wal Mart. Although she was extemely tired, she decided to join us. Inside, I heard her sneakers skid to a halt and her sqeal aloud and clear, with exaltation and surprise, “HEY, what YOU doing here?!” I turned to see her forlorn and quibbled face, white as a ghost…then we burst into one of the best laughs of a life time! We literally landed on the floor in the middle of Wal Mart, roaring and crying with laughter when she/we’d realized she had reacted to her very own reflection in a mirror!
I have laugh echoed over this MANY times! It IS Awesome!
*btw~ two of my very favourite pictures in your blog~ laughing baby and elderly man:)
p.s. for some reason I’m not receiving posts in my email anymore. Anyone else having this happen? Can anyone advise me what to do?
Oh, this happens a lot to me. My husband has learned to stop asking me what’s so funny when I burst out laughing at random times. But people here at work still give me odd looks.
I haven’t had any problems, I’m still getting my emails. Try signing up again. Didn’t you change your email address anyway? You’d have to sign up again under the new address if that’s the case.
I am still having problems with commenting. Its a slow process, but I’m trying to be patient.
I’m still using the old email address for blogs and business. The new is just for personal.
Someof the other people’s comments are coming through and some are not:( But I am definitely not receiving the latest posts and I don’t know why.
Guess I’ll try to resubscribe. Thanks, Bekah:)
btw. saw a pie yesterday with a smiley face where it had cracked as it baked but I never had my camera!
Ah, I love it when old memories suddenly pop up all unexpected. Especially the funny memories. They always brighten up my day. I think the Laugh Echo is one of my favourite awesome things!
I do this all the time….it is why I can’t attend funerals. My brother calls this phenomenon “aftershocks” :D
The Laugh Echo is the best!
this is awesome!
Sometimes the best laughs are the echoes! They can be so sudden & unexpected that the surprise of them makes them even funnier. This is something that seems to happen to me often and I’m grateful for it.
Global Belly Laugh Day is January 24. On Global Belly Laugh Day we celebrate past laughs and connect with new laughs. On January 24 at 1:24 p.m. (local time) smile, throw your arms in the air and laugh out loud. Join the Belly Laugh Bounce Around the World. Your aughter is contagious. Thank you for letting us catch your laugh.
http://www.bellylaughday.com
This happens to me at least once a day.
Excellent post however I was wondering if you could write a litte more on this subject? I’d be very grateful if you could elaborate a little bit further. Bless you!