Laughter is good medicine  – not a gesture of pleasantry or out of nervousness, but a genuine laugh from the belly or heart.  Who doesn’t love a belly laugh… but there is another laugh I find equally delightful, and that one emerges from the heart. 

Heart laughter is an alchemical fusion of something that lands sweetly, is a bit out of the ordinary, and with a twist of surprise.

Such wonderful laughter swept across the group on retreat last Friday at Rocky Creek Ranch.  Conditions were created that helped this type of laughter to arise –we all were in a state of embodiment and centered within our hearts.  This collective state was so palpable that the ranch donkeys took notice.

With playful curiosity, these donkeys ran over with excitement to check out what was happening.  As a side note, we had been out there all morning, and they hadn’t been interested in us.  But the moment we all took our seat within our body and heart – they wanted in.  They could sense a shift within our group.

One particular donkey took quite a liking to one of our attendees and proceeded to stick his head out of his fence and give her kisses.  And there it was, sweet laughter that came from the heart.  Such a sweet and precious moment is good medicine and will be with us all for quite a while.  

This moment inspired a new practice for me this week:
to be on the lookout for the sweet, out-of-the-ordinary moments that often get passed by when I’m distracted with a thought or moving too quickly.  

AND I must stay; this has been a delightful practice for all the reasons you can imagine.  Being on the lookout for these moments has brought more laughter to my life.  

I offer this practice to you – seek those sweet moments of unexpectedness.  Pause, bring a smile to your face, and see what happens.  

We could find many things not to laugh about in this world, but there is good medicine that laughter offers.  And laughter is contagious.  With your laughter, you can spread goodness.