Want to Feel Better? Laugh More.

I have been fighting the flu all week. Let me tell you there is nothing funny about that.  I did, however, come across a blog entry from Marlo Thomas over at The Huffington Post that made me chuckle. Isn't chuckle a funny word?

Marlo's post  in honor of "National Humor Month" was all about the healing powers of laughter.  There is nothing like a good laugh to brighten up my day. I didn't realize there were so many health benefits to laughter. Marlo points out:

For starters, a good, big laugh relieves physical tension and relaxes your muscles for up to 45 minutes. (Maybe that's why everyone feels so laid back when someone starts telling jokes at a party!) Laughter also keeps the immune system humming by decreasing stress hormones and boosting infection-fighting antibodies. It even protects the heart by keeping those blood vessels pumping.

I love having any excuse to laugh, but knowing the health benefits makes me want to laugh even more. 

This week the internet was all abuzz with President Obama "Slow Jamming" the news with Jimmy Fallon.

What made you laugh this week?

Impossible Things

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” -Nelson Mandela

When trying to reach a goal or to dig up a dream that was long ago hidden , success may seem almost impossible.

 I have some days where I feel like I can do anything! I know that all of my dreams are just a few short steps away, and nothing can keep me from them. Then there are other days when I feel like achieving even a short term goal is absolutely impossible. I wonder what I was thinking when I even decided to dream of something so outlandish in the first place.

When I go to those low places, I try to think of other things that at first seemed impossible, but people have accomplished in order to encourage myself. Here are just a few:

President  Barack Obama- First African-American President.

Neil Armstrong- First person to set foot on the Moon.

Amelia Earhart- First woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean and set many aviation records.

Helen Keller- The first deaf-blind person to earn a bachelor’s degree.

George Dawson- At age 98 learned to read, at 101 years old he co-authored his autobiography.

What are some other seemingly impossible things that people have accomplished?  Who has helped you to believe that anything is possible?