So the other day I’m driving home from another semi-great (ok, average) meal produced by me with the help of O’Charley’s. (I said “produced” not “made”. Big difference. . . ) My son starts clapping to the latest #1 song on Top 20. “Stop clapping,” I shout over the noise of the radio. “Why?” he asks. Good question, I think. “I don’t know. I just can’t stand the sound of clapping in the car,” I say. To which my kids crack up at the absurdity of my statement.

Who knows why clapping in the car ranks among one of my top pet peeves. It’s just one of those quirks that I’m sure my kids will grow up and discuss with their therapists. But, as we all know, Moms can be and deserve to be quirky now and then.

In fact, people have long exploited family members’ oddities, pet peeves, and general behavior for the enjoyment and profit of others. Think Cosby Show and Everybody Loves Raymond. Can’t we all relate to the “realness” of said shows?

I recently read the book You’re Lucky You’re Funny, a non-fiction account of How Life Became a Sitcom by Phil Rosenthal, the producer of Raymond. In it he describes how much of the material for the show was pulled from his own and cast members real lives. He says, “But the key was specificity. I didn’t know it then, but I learned that this was the universal element. What I stumbled onto was that each of our lives deals in specifics, and we can relate to the specificity in other people’s lives.”

I think we can all agree that our families have specific things about them that could easily show up in an episode or two of a sitcom. The key is being able to see these things in a humorous light in real life when they aren’t on display for millions of people to share in the laughter. Keeping proper perspective on the quirkiness that surrounds you everyday can be freeing and very, very funny.

EXTRA-Ordinary Ideas:

Read It: You’re Lucky, You’re Funny: How Life Became a Sitcom by Phil Rosenthal.

Do It: Catch a re-run or two of your favorite sitcom. Chalk it up to helping you keep proper perspective.

Think It: “The family is one of nature’s masterpieces.” George Santayana

Have you ever been behind the lady at the grocery who takes a hundred and thirty-one dollars and seventy-five cents worth of bread, peanut butter, laundry detergent, and every other item known to a grocery list (including pre-made caramel apples) through the self-checkout? As if this isn’t annoying enough, her cell phone rings while she’s scanning her items and she ANSWERS it! Meanwhile, the seemingly kind voice that lives in the scanner keeps repeating, “Please place the last item in the bag,” over and over and over again while the oblivious lady continues her conversation.

Sounds like a sitcom scene, doesn’t it? I’d be more apt to belly laugh if it wasn’t a true story. However, I wasn’t the one fuming behind said lady; I WAS “that lady”. The one I’ve complained about countless times.

Yep, I admit it. I bought my caramel apples loaded up my eight bags of groceries and made a beeline for the car before anyone could throw me another dirty look. Circumstances dictated that I find the quickest checkout route, and with every manned aisle 3 or 4 deep I decided to go self-checkout. The phone call? It was my daughter who was waiting for me to pick her up after a function at school that night. I didn’t want her to be worried.

So why do I feel the need to confess? Because sometimes in our day-to-day routines people do things that annoy us more than elevator music. The easy thing is to get aggravated, take it personally, and complain about it. Now I try to see the humor in the situation and think about the very real possibility that one day I’ll be “that annoying lady” again. I’ll be saving my dirty looks for more important things, like my children.

EXTRA-Ordinary Ideas:

Read It: 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People – A quick, enlightening read that gives the simple science behind what makes people happy.

Do It: Give someone the benefit of the doubt this week.

Think It: “Kindness is loving people more than they deserve.” Joseph Joubert

To follow is the world’s easiest question.

Do you want or need to do any of the following?

• reduce your stress
• lower your blood pressure
• elevate your mood
• boost your immune system
• improve your brain functioning
• protect your heart
• connect more with others
• foster instant relaxation
• feel good.

Hold on a minute, I think I just heard a resounding, “YES”. Oh, that was myself talking. If you’re emphatically nodding too, this week’s task is just for you, and it’s super easy. All you need to do is

LAUGH MORE.

Funny, giggle, ha-ha, hee-hee, that’s all there is to it. Find something funny to watch, read, look at or appreciate, and your body will thank you for it. And coming from a person who can mangle the punch line of the easiest of jokes, fear not, you don’t have to BE funny to appreciate humor. You just have to be tuned into the humor that’s all around you, and be willing to laugh.

Laughter increases creativity, productivity, and communication. I’m betting that we could all use more of these qualities in our daily lives. One of the easiest ways to get a little more laughter into your life is to spend some time with girlfriends. Women have an amazing ability to get together and LAUGH. Some of my biggest belly laughs have been in the company of girlfriends who are sharing the humorous side of everyday life. One gut busting belly laugh can do amazing things for your body and your attitude. So get laughing!

I’ve included a link here to make it easy. Hulu.com has thousands of funny clips of television shows and movies for free. So, what are you waiting for? Take a 5-minute laugh break now!

EXTRA-Ordinary Ideas:

Read It:
Anatomy of an Illness by Norman Cousins – The true story of the way laughter cured one man’s illness.

Naked by David Sedaris – Quick essays that will have you laughing out loud.

The Levity Effect by Adrian Gostick and Scott Christopher – A great read touting the positive effects of humor in business.

(see descriptions of these books in the sidebar to the right)

Do It:
Take a “Comedy Break” most days this week. Spend five minutes doing something that will make you laugh. If you have more time watch Here and Now, Ellen DeGeneres’ HBO comedy special on DVD. I laughed out loud until my stomach hurt.

Think It:
“The human race has only one really effective weapon and that is laughter.” Mark Twain