Laugh Out Loud

For some reason, I have had the hardest time getting my thoughts gathered for this post.  Even now, I am bumbling and backspacing every other word, unable to solidify my perspective.  Some might call this writer's block; I, however, call it the perfect summation of the past year--2009 in a nutshell, so to speak.
There were parts of 2009 that were frustrating beyond belief.  Like the parts where I was eating everything I could get my hands on with no end in sight and the parts where I was in a bad mood with no known source.  The parts where I was blowing through money like it was literally growing on a tree outside my back door weren't too pleasant, either.
There were also parts that were empowering, fulfilling, and altogether divine.  Like the times during and after my mom's surgery when I was called upon to make big decisions and, ultimately, hold our household together.  Or the times when I worked really hard on a project for school and was rewarded with a good grade or a simple approving nod from a tough teacher.  In a lot of cases, I learned what I was really made of and how tough growing up can really be.
There were, of course, lots and lots of fun times in 2009, as well.  The times when I totally cut loose during football season, for example, and acted like I was anything but twenty-four.  The times when I was reading a great book or seeing a fabulous movie.  (Check out my year's best reads and movies.)  And the vacation times and the wedding times and the nothing times with the people I love the most.
For me, 2009 really ran the gamut of feeling and emotions.  It was fun; it was difficult; it was wild; it was frustrating; it was scary; it was tiring; it was bizarre; it was wonderful; it was funny; it was trying; it was lonely; it was happy; it was rewarding; it was a test of faith; it was sad; it was real.
It was life in its purest, rawest form.
I don't know what 2010 holds--couldn't begin to speculate or make a guess.  I don't have a clue where I may go, what may happen, who I may meet, or how the year may unfold.  I don't even really know what I want to happen.  All I know is this:  I want to laugh.  Every day.
No gimmicks, no slogans, no resolutions.
Just laughter.

For, at the end of every day and every situation, if you ask me, laughter makes everything bearable.  It makes the funny funnier; it makes the tragic endurable; it makes your eyes shine brighter, and it's the best soundtrack this life could ask for.

I have some goals for the year, which I am shockingly keeping to myself for the moment, but my outlook for the coming year can be perfectly summed up in these ten words from Daughtry's newest song, Life After You.

All that I'm after is a life full of laughter.

That's it:  pure and simple.  Just laughter.

Webster's Dictionary defines laughter as "a cause of merriment."  A Yiddish proverb says that "what soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul."  The great comedic actor Milton Berle said, "laughter is an instant vacation," and I can't really think of anything better than that.

All that I'm after is a life full of laughter.

Happy 2010 to you and yours, my loves.  I wish you all the best.