This is an issue that affects young and old alike. The average arm weighs the equivalent of a Little League baseball bat. Under ideal circumstances, each person has two arms, which is somewhat like carrying around two baseball bats attached at the shoulders.  Arms are second only to legs in length and weight. Since arms have to be slept with and because of their size and number, they can present major problems. You would be poorly served to ever ignore your arms. Here is the clinical situation that gives rise to the question before us. There are two kinds of sleep: normal sleep and body-part sleep.

Normal sleep is the old fashioned kind. We may refer to it as a deep sleep, a hard sleep, or a sound sleep. We may speak of it in otherworldly terms. We may say, “I closed my eyes and was gone!” Or “I just drifted off” or “I drifted away.”

Shakespeare was writing about normal sleep when he wrote, “. . . sleep that knits up the raveled sleeve of care.” Normal sleep has that power.

Body-part sleep is irregular or synthetic or para-sleep—when a body-part becomes numb and partially paralyzed. There can be the sensation of pins and needles becoming very active for the duration of the sleep. There is no problem when all parts of the body go into normal sleep at the same time, but if one part of the body goes into body-part sleep when all the rest of the body goes to normal sleep, that one part will wake up the rest of the body. There are times when the body actually needs sleep, but there is never a time when just one part of the body needs sleep by itself. There are some undesirable arm positions during sleep.

Sleeping on the Arm is a natural place for an arm during sleep. This occurs when a person rolls over onto either side and the arm catches the weight of the entire body. This is referred to as “sleeping on the arm.” My personal research indicates that it takes about twenty-seven minutes for the arm to become totally asleep. If you lie on it for forty continuous minutes, the only way you can get it back is to dig it out of the mattress. Think of how marvelous it is that the human body is made so that it is impossible for the body to roll over on more than one arm at a time. How perplexing it would be to sleep for forty minutes on both arms and not have one for digging out.

In the cantilever position, one arm is cantilevered off the side of the bed at a right angle to the body when lying on the back. Thirty-two minutes is the average time required for the arm to break off at the shoulder and fall tingling to the floor.

A major finding came with a burst of insight. I thought, If God had so chosen, God could have created us so that we could unscrew our arms at night or anytime we are ready for bed. We could hang up our arms somewhere until we needed them again. But, that was obviously no solution since we would never be able to take off more than one arm at a time. I was disappointed, but I couldn’t get out of my mind the advantage of having arms that could be screwed on and screwed off at night.

As I reflected, it became clear that if God had so chosen, God could have created us in pairs instead of as individuals. That way, everyone would have someone to help screw arms on and off.  But with Rosalie being a nurse, it would be just my luck for her to rush away some morning and forget to screw my arms back on. There I would be—with her at work and me at home with my arms unscrewed and hanging on the bedroom wall. I wouldn’t even be able to dial the phone to tell her about it so she could come help me get my arms off the wall and screwed back on.

Finally, I realized that God actually had done pretty well in creating us like we are.

Later that night I rolled over on one of my arms and it joined me in my sound sleep. In about twenty-seven minutes, that arm was in body-part sleep, tingling up a storm. It woke up all the rest of me right on schedule. My research continues almost every night—and sometimes in the middle of the afternoon.

DEM, Spirits Laughing, pp. 25-28.

Laughter is also close to the Tragic

Being an alcoholic is tragic, but sometimes seeing a drunk may lift a family above the tragedy into laughter. How many family members have had to move from tears and tragedy to laughter in order to survive? Clearly, laughter may come before or after tears, and laughter may accompany or cover pain and the deeply tragic. All are closely related. Perhaps tears and laughter, and tears of laughter are the healthiest and most healing expressions of grief. This is the most significant and functional level of humor.
It is great when humor is recognized and appreciated, but it is a deeper gift when tears and laughter come, for laughter has the power to release pent-up emotions and bring back happy memories. Also, tears have a power of their own: cleansing, washing, purifying, and baptizing a deep inner place. It may be that it takes the powerful combination of tears and laughter to reach a place so deep inside us.
Do you know what I mean?
DEM, Spirits Laughing, pp. 131-136

I hope you joined our blog at the beginning. If not, I encourage you to go there and catch up on the early entries. (This blog is is a mini-course on humor, and you will not want to miss the pay-off at the conclusion.)

For the current blogs on “Funeral Home Laughter” to have meaning you will need to reread  “The Anatomy of  Laughter,” and the blogs that follow it.

Laughter (and/or humor) might not have been a part of many funerals you and I have attended—but I suspect that you can recall exceptions now that you think back to particular situations. (Perhaps the further from that event you are, the clearer will be your recollection.)  I am now recalling the time that someone stood too close to the casket, and slipped into the grave before the casket was lowered. (There was nothing funny about it at the time.)

If you can recall humor happening there, make some refresher notes and get prepared to tell your group (or a friend) about that unusual experience. (Don’t forget—our stories are some of our best sources of humor.) Read More→

Our family members were at the funeral home making arrangements for the burial of a deceased parent. It was a sad meeting and tears frequently flowed, unbidden. Then, someone mentioned that it would not be long before we would have to return to make arrangements for the other parent, and for a favorite aunt. Through her tears, she concluded that we should probably make arrangement for all three, and avoid having to go through this pain again and again. The thought of making additional, multiple, quantity funeral arrangements for people who were still alive broke our tears into laughter, and turned them into tears of laughter.

When the unsuspecting funeral director returned to the room, we felt we owed him an explanation but no one could adequately express it without bursting into laughter. The tears of laughter flowed freely.

Tears and laughter originate from deep inside where they are very close to each other.

We’ve all been there! Read More→

In yesterday’s blog I featured various levels of laughter that any of us may participate in from time to time. If you are joining us today go back and read about them. Although this has been an unusually long blog from me, this content is significant. (I didn’t want to minimize it by dividing it into several parts.) Also, it is too much content for us to skim over and move on quickly.

Your responses may be good data for your insight and later reflection. Review the previous content and write your responses to any of the “red letter questions” that prompt a response from you.

THIS MAY BE A GOOD TIME FOR YOU TO CONSIDER “WORKING” WITH SOME OF THE CONTENT THAT WILL BE PRESENTED. (This is a good place to begin!)

One can actually be at several levels at various times—or even at the same time. Look for significance about where you are among the various “levels of laughter.”

If you are in a group, responses from you and others may prompt important discussion.

You may wish to place the previous blog in your Hot House for quick reference. (I think it is that important!) If you have questions, let me hear from you. Read More→

Level 1: No laugh (No level)
It is sad when a person goes for long periods of time without any reason to laugh. There are probably few other people gathering around that person, just for fun!
Is this you?

Level 2: Non-Laugh (Low level)
The non-laughing person reminds me of the proverbial two-headed man in the circus: Everything he heard just went in one ear and out the other! In one ear and out the other! The non-laughing person probably hears and sees as much humor as the rest of us, but is so burdened-down, or insensitive to it, the humor goes in one ear and out the other without registering or being processed.
Are you at this level?

Level 3: Inside Laugh (Weak Level)
For some people, humor tends to be an inside job. There may be special times when a person at Level 3 laughs out loud, but his or her general practice is to have a silent laugh. This is the “introverted laugh.” The only way to know if this person finds a bit of humor is the slight appearance of smile dimples, or an occasional full-blown smile. Even then, we can’t know for certain that the person is laughing.
Is this your primary way to laugh?

Level 4: Snicker Laugh (Good Level)
The snicker laugh is probably the most frequent. This is a standard laugh. The snicker indicates the person is “with” you. Got the joke! You have connected, and her/his laughter usually makes you laugh. Then your laughter makes the other person laugh. Healthy laughter is a communal thing. The snicker laugh sounds good compared to the first three stages, which never sound at all. At least the snicker is audible. It may be “hey hey hey” or “ha ha ha” or a long groan. Whatever the sound, it is an authentic laugh.

There may even be strange sounds put forth as laughter. That makes the laugh funny by itself. When this phenomenon occurs, laughter increases among all who are present.

Come forth with genuine, generous, raucous, wholehearted laughter—and watch the eyes of those around you. Do you think they are laughing at the way you laugh, or at something else? Are they laughing at you or with you? (You may never know, because this is not something one usually asks.)

You can stimulate genuine snickers by the use of a “laugh machine.” I bought mine—in the form of a large set of false teeth—at a toy store. When the machine is turned on, the “teeth” laugh and laugh and laugh. Sometimes when I’m alone and need a lift in my spirit, I turn it on and it starts me laughing. It is exceptionally funny when used in a group. Consider getting a laugh machine for guaranteed laughs. When Rosalie is occasionally miffed and unloading on me, I turn on the laugh machine. She remains peeved, but laughs and says, “Turn that silly thing off until I get through with what I am saying.”
Does the snicker laugh sound like you?

Level 5: Belly Laugh (Top Level)
The belly laugh is one of the best kind. You get your money’s worth with a good belly laugh. Everyone needs a belly laugh at least once a day, not less than every two days. Belly-laugh humor can cause you to laugh so hard you hurt—in a good sense of the word. The belly laugh is therapeutic to general health. Physically, it does wonders for you by releasing pent-up endorphins. (Whatever they are, everyone says they need to be released!) It puts a positive strain on your heart. (Contrary to what people say, no one has ever died from laughing.) A good laugh purges your system of anxiety. It forces you to breathe deeply. It has been said that a laugh a day “keeps the doctor away.”

Everyone has a belly (some more than others!) and everyone needs a regular, deep laugh every day. St. Augustine said, “Each of us is made with a God-shaped emptiness in our heart that only God can fill.” What if it is true that God has also made us with another God-shaped emptiness that only a good laugh can fill? There is no way to know for certain, but you will want to meet the recommended daily requirement of belly laughs just to be safe.
Are you having enough belly laughs?

Level 6: Tears and Laughter(Classic Level)
Tears and laughter are like two sides of the same coin. There are (1) tears and laughter and (2) tears of laughter.

Tears and laughter! A belly laugh is like a massage to the body, while tears have the power to cleanse the soul. Tears and humor are often closely related. Who among us has not witnessed or been involved in an event that embarrassed us to tears at the time, but later became refreshingly humorous? I hope you can remember a time when you laughed so hard and so long that tears rolled down your cheeks. Such events may not happen often, but they are memorable, because they are wonderful!

Tears of laughter! The old man had an infectious laugh. He laughed often and freely. Persons around him were usually drawn into his delightful laughter. Someone asked him why he laughed so much. In a very solemn tone, he said, “Laughter can cover lots of deep pain.”
Laughter may be a safety valve located in the region of the fountain of tears. Tears may come, followed by laughter, or tears may come as a result of laughter, or the two may be freely intermingled.
How is it with you?

What makes something humorous is hard to define, and I am not going to attempt a definition here. I prefer not to focus on the humorous event as the source of laughter, because a thing is humorous, not in and of itself, but because of how it strikes you. If you see someone slip, and fall, it may make you laugh, or it may make you cringe. The choice is yours.

Let’s think not of the event as being humorous, but of the eye-witness as being a humorous person.

While buying flowers, I heard the rapid patter of feet running on the road behind me. I looked up and saw a moving pickup truck with the motor running and no driver inside. The truck was moving with the traffic, within the busy roadway. The would-be driver was running to overtake his vehicle, and bulldogged it just before it hit an oncoming car. There was nothing funny about the event; it had been a near-accident. But within less than a minute, four men who saw the incident broke into uncontrollable laughter. There was little humor in the event; the humor was in them!

In recent days, have you been laughing a lot, or a little? Read More→