Gettin' The Giggles

by Brenda Black
Published March 26, 2009

It happened. Suz and I got the giggles. Not just a little tee, hee. But the fall to the ground, eyes watering, can’t talk giggles. We had just finished caring for my teen friend's horse following a high school rodeo performance. The work was done and we were headed for the contestant’s dance. Most of our friends and all of the parents were already in the pavilion at the top of the hill. It was late and a long, sloping ascent became an unexpected challenge. Whether the giggles or the incline was to blame, escapes me. But the combination was a recipe for hilarity.

Repeatedly we laughed so hard, we fell to the ground, and rolled back down that hill. In my memory it happened a dozen times. Finally exhausted from the silliness, we pulled one another to the top. Straightening our jeans and grass-mingled hair, we finally conquered the mountain together and fell into the company of our peers.

You can imagine who was having a better time that night. Our half-hour of laughter was by far more exciting than the room full of self-conscious, wall-hugging teenagers standing around a darkened room. While they huddled into secure, safe circles, we were rolling down a meadow in complete abandon.

I’ll never forget that innocent, wonderful moment in time. Oh, sure, we stayed for the dance, mingled with our friends and drank a pop or two. However, today, I can’t remember a single song that was played. I don’t know what anyone was wearing. I haven’t been able to recall anything significant about that night except for: the smell of the grass, my belt buckle thumping the ground in sequential beats, the flush in my friend’s face, the breathless gasps between giggles, and the feeling of just being me. No pretense, no peer pressure, just pure pleasure one night when I was a teen.

I’m finding these days that peer pressure sneaks up even on adults. I often feel the need to be concerned about what everyone thinks. But just the other night, I skipped out of a fast-food restaurant door with a friend, we were laughing and enjoying one another. We hugged and grinned. I noticed folks watching at such silliness. For just a moment, I gathered myself. Then I thought, I refuse to be pretentious. Like it or lump it, there will be times when I won’t hold to decorum. Then I’ll ask myself that age-old question: Just who here is having more fun?

Way back, in the beginning of time, God said it was okay to laugh. Even Patriarch Abraham got punchy. Genesis 17:17 says, “Abraham fell face down; he laughed...”

Among Solomon’s wise sayings are a couple which tout the benefits of a good ol’ belly ho ho. “A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit...the cheerful heart has a continual feast.” (Pr. 15:13,15b)

We are even told in Scripture that God laughs. Taken in context, it usually refers to the folly of man when they disregard his omnipotence. But I think he also laughs from a heart filled with joy. Remember it is a fruit of THE SPIRIT!

So, be biblical. Go get your friend, find a hill, and laugh a little. The medicinal effects are guaranteed to linger for decades.

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