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The section of the Reader's Digest entitled: Laughter, the Best Medicine, was always the first on my reading list. Starting with laughter, any otherwise complacent action can take on an aura of pleasantry. However, the adage laughter is the best medicine, holds a lot of truth.

Laughter is good for your mental health and well-being. It can relieve stress, anxiety, depression, tension and worry. It is a massage for your soul and a therapist for your mind, and it costs nothing.

Laughter is also a good exercise for the heart and lungs; it can improve the circulation of the blood; it relaxes the muscles in the face, neck, and shoulders; and Praise the Lord, it burns calories! For that last reason alone, I try to laugh several times a day!

When our family gets together, we know there will be peals of laughter hovering over the neighborhood like a cloud of good will. We are a witty family, especially my daughters. My youngest should be a stand-up comedienne since she can quickly find humor in most situations and we sometimes laugh until the tears roll. That is a very healthy type of laughter.

Sometimes we really need laughter when it would seem most inappropriate. It can work magic to intrude on the dark clouds of the mourning process, although only momentarily, but it is a welcome intruder. One instance of this can be recalled in the movie Steele Magnolias.

When the ladies are gathered at the cemetery after Shelby's death, her mother M'Lynn is inconsolable with grief. She screams, I'm fine! I'm fine! I can jog all the way to Texas and back! But my daughter can't, she never could!

Through her sobbing, she continues, It's not supposed to happen this way. I was supposed to go first! I don't think I can take this! I just want to hit somebody until they feel as bad as I do!

At that point, her friend Clariee realizes the need to do something to ease the grieving and she grabs the contrary character, Ouiser and shoves her in front of M'Lynn and says, Here! Hit this! Go ahead, M'Lynn, slap her!

This action shocks and stuns all present until Clariee breaks the tense moment with the statement, We'll sell t-shirts saying, 'I SLAPPED OUISER BOUDREAUX! This is your chance to do something for you fellow man!

After Ouiser flees the scene, Clariee tells M'Lynn, You just missed the chance of a lifetime! Half of Chiquapin Parish would give their eye teeth to take a whack at Ouiser. In spite of the seriousness of the situation, the ladies begin to show signs of laughter,

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