"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing," George Bernard Shaw.

Laughter and play have many benefits. Laughter changes body-mind chemistry, elevates mood, reduces pain, enhances sleep, and helps fight infection by boosting the immune system. Studies show that children laugh three times more than adults, and 15 minutes of laughter can add approximately two days to your lifespan. Laughter brings more oxygen to the body and the brain. Laughter creates an instant connection between people, alleviates social stress in situations, and is contagious! Are you trying to lose weight? Fifteen minutes of belly laughs burns up to 40 calories. Cartoonist Mort Walker, creator of Beetle Bailey, reminded us that “seven days without laughter makes one weak.”

            Laughter and play have always drawn my attention since childhood. They created fun ways of being with my imagination, ways I discovered the “magic” in every day. Laughter and play were also ways of coping with challenging childhood experiences and emotions I didn’t understand or know how to process at the time. They provided distractions, which helped calm parts of me that felt scared, angry, frustrated, lost, and alone, overwhelming emotions I had not yet learned how to be with and process.

            As a young adult I collected clown masks. I enjoyed wearing the mask of the clown, playing practical jokes, and sharing joy and fun with others. This served me until laughter and play could no longer cover up vulnerable, sensitive parts of me I had unknowingly buried. The issues went into the tissues. It was no longer easier to laugh than to cry. As a physical therapist, it was during somatic manual therapy trainings that wise mentors supported and guided me. They demonstrated and provided opportunities for me to learn ways to gently release and heal unconsciously hidden parts of me within my body. One mentor, psychologist and bodyworker Dr. Aminah Raheem, who developed Soul Lightening Acupressure, reminded me several times that “the longest journey you will take will be from your head to your heart.”

During this process of what I now call “coming home to my heart,” I also reconnected with the playful, magical child, still inside waiting for me. It was compassionate, non-judgmental acceptance mentors provided during sessions that enhanced my ability to trust myself again. Layers of armoring softened. I found strength and courage within that I wasn’t aware of, and  again found joy in laughter and play, even amidst challenges.

Robin Williams has been a role model for me. Within this highly sensitive, exceptionally talented human being, was a vulnerable man who struggled at the end of his life to find peace. Robin brought laughter and joy to so many of us, and made a huge difference in many of our lives. Throughout our lives there are many individuals who bring joy and laughter to us. Treasure these individuals and times you share with them. Treasure yourself, and the many joys you may be unaware of that you uniquely bring to others.

 "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing," widely attributed to playwright George Bernard Shaw.