Laugh Until Your Belly Hurts

So the results are in…sort of.  Wiarton Willie says it’s going to be an early spring!  Yay!  Punxsutawney Phil says early spring as well!  Yay!  But Debbie Downer, I mean Shubenacadie Sam says winter is here to stay for a while.  Boo! 

Yes, Shades readers, Sunday February 2 was Groundhog Day and based on this very scientific methodology of groundhogs seeing their shadows or not, Spring may be just around the corner! 

But for today, it is still February and if you are like us, you are deep in the thick of the winter doldrums. 

So how do we cheer ourselves up?  We collectively agree that having a good laugh is the best and most calorie-independent way of feeling better so this month, we are going to spend some time exploring all things funny and comedic.  We have actually touched on the benefits of laughter before - check out one of our blogs from 2019 at  Click Here to remind yourself of why it is a great idea to belly laugh as often as possible. 

My husband and I have been listening to a lot of stand up on Sirius.  There are a variety of channels to cater to your tastes.  We are big fans of Tom Papa and Jim Gaffigan who both weave their stories to get to their punchlines brilliantly.  Another favorite is Russell Peters – I don’t typically love broad stereotypes but Russell has perfected skewering different cultural and race-based stereotypes and no one is safe.  In their article on Toronto’s most influential people of 2012, Toronto Life said of Russell that he “…rocketed to acclaim as an unabashed ridiculer of races (usually his own) and is an unofficial global ambassador for the Toronto brand of multiculturalism”.  Plus he is just gut-bustingly funny. 

Some of the best stand up comes from just life in general, finding the humour in the experiences that we all go through, whether mundane or tragic.  There is always something we can laugh at that makes us come together.  Maybe if we found more of those moments where we had things in common to laugh at, there wouldn’t be as much strife in the world.  John Cleese says that "Laughter connects you with people.  It's almost impossible to maintain any kind of distance or any sense of social hierarchy when you are just howling with laughter.  Laughter is a force for democracy".  This is so true.

Shades readers, why don’t you share with us what makes you laugh and check out Tom, Jim and Russel on Youtube when you need a good chuckle. 

Have a great week!