Brightside Entry | The Lovely Pain of Laughter

Today I had lunch with two of my friends, Lorri & Joelle at Exile (yes, Akire if you're reading this, I went back and ate my weight in shittake mushrooms--I had the Fourshroom Pie + wasabi mayo appetizer thing; also the waiter was looking for you asan si ate? hahaha). And we spent the entire lunch hour talking about our crazy friends (and lovers, who are friends both with all of us and each other) and the things they do that make them so lovable/goofy. We also talked about how we're all secretly hipsters and it's so uncool to be cool to be uncool--oh, fuck that. :))

Afterward, my stomach hurt not just from being uber full but also from laughing so hard. I enjoy these conversations very much because I find that there aren't a lot of people who can make me laugh. I have to agree with something my friend Sulky Ron told me once, "Laughter is divine." My highschool literature teacher (who is by far the best teacher I've ever had the pleasure of learning from, I think) Ms. Ella also told us during one of the lessons where she made us watch a couple of The Simpsons episodes that "Laughter is also a measure of intelligence." And I agree. Laughter is just as profound as sadness.

And while most of the things I've ever written (short stories, etc.) indicate otherwise, I think that happiness, laughter can resonate just as strongly as sadness. I find that our generation tends to get so caught up in the loneliness that we feel keeps us from what we want to do--we are both self-entitled and whiny, which doesn't make for a lot of productivity or happiness--that we forget to just do things that make us happy; we forget that outside of the internet or video games or shopping, there are people. 

Lorri and I were talking about our tendencies to become reclusive and while I agree that it's okay to give yourself space to breathe sometimes, I don't believe that locking yourself (myself, I mean) in your room is the way to go. Today was a great day for me and I think it's because I've (for the meantime) stopped living in my head. I went out and got things done--sent packages, packed parcels, hung out with friends, delivered packages--and that isn't always the easiest thing in the world but by no means is that a very big problem. I want to get rid of this odd self-entitlement that I find so many of us have: I don't deserve this job, I should get paid higher, I didn't even want to be taking this course, I only settled for this situation, I'm a (insert accomplishment here) for crying out loud. 

I have this theory that people never settle for anything, really: they do what they want and when they're no longer happy with that they say that they settled. And I don't want to be one of those people. I want to take responsibility for my life and my actions and my relationships and friendships. :) And laughing out loud with Lorri & Joelle was definitely a good start; thank you girls for the lunch! Today was refreshing. :)