I’m a big believer in laughter as a stress reliever, but I was absolutely  riveted bythe CBS newscast on the heroic rescue of the Chilean miners last weekend when one of the miners credited a combination of faith and pranks for keeping them alive.  Yes, playing jokes on each other as they awaited rescue was one of the ways he said they fought off fear and despair.  The news reporter  also noted that the miners said they made a pact of solidarity that bonded them together through the ordeal.

Most of us will never face as long and frightening an experience as those trapped miners in South America, but few people would deny that we live in crisis-filled times with seemingly little to laugh about.  I started my career in journalism and I remember  one reason that I loved so many of my comrades, starting in journalism school, was because we seemed to find laughter a necessary tool of the trade.   Nowadays corporations and hospitals are recognizing the importance of laughter in relieving stress, and are hiring experts to teach their employees techniques for lightening up.  There are even laughter clubs springing up world- wide and a World Laughter Day in May.

In that spirit, I’m sharing a link to join the free Laughing Buddhas Network, where the goal of my friend, meditation expert Pragito Dove, is to create an epidemic of laughter meditation worldwide! I’m a member and I sure could use more “comrades in mirth” to survive these troubled times! Go to http://discovermeditation.com/laughing-buddhas-network/