After reading a portion of our feature article, “Strong, Centered and Whole: Women That Inspire Us to Thrive” by Marlaina Donato, I found myself down a rabbit hole researching. In the piece, Behati Hart, Life Architect and author, shares how laughter and dance are her “forever medicines.” This was all the nudge I needed to go digging into how laughter has made its way into integrative and even mainstream medical practice.

Laughter has, for as long as I can remember, been one of the greatest loves of my life. I think fondly, and with a little compassion for our mom, of the time my sister Colleen and I faced her wrath as she chased us around slapping our bare legs with a flyswatter. (I know. So gross.) We simply could not stop laughing at each other. The more she swatted, the harder we laughed. With every quick glance between us, we dissolved into waves of hysterical laughter barely able to catch our breath.

Our poor mom. She had few tools for settling her nervous system, or ours for that matter, nor the knowledge that that was even a “thing”. I can only see it that way now, having done some intentional work over the past few years learning how to find my own balance. I’ve come a long way from the days of my own unchecked dysregulation, though I’ll be the first to admit there’s plenty of room left to grow.

Mom’s life was not without its share of experiences that would have tested even the most grounded among us. God bless her Soul. I wish she was here this Mother’s Day. I’d love to explore with her all the remarkable resources that have moved into the mainstream, things that might have helped her settle in and enjoy a little more of the laughter and joy that was always swirling around her.

As always, I hope you find a gem somewhere in these pages that serves you on your journey. And if you still have a mom, please give her a hug for me.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there, human and pet alike. May you feel the joy and experience some laughter, this day and every day.

Peace,