Shared Laughter

Buds was showing me a reddit post last night, asking the general question of people who had gone through a divorce:

“Looking back, could you see signs from the very beginning, or was the end of your relationship a surprise?”

After asking him if he was trying to tell me something (He wasn’t.), it was fascinating to read through all the comments.

One that struck me was the man who said as he was getting ready to go stand up front at his wedding, his boss pulled him aside and said, “My truck is parked right outside. There’s 10 grand in the glove box, and it’s got a full tank of gas. Get in it and drive! I’m not kidding it’s parked right there!”

The groom just laughed, and was divorced a couple months later, greatly in debt thanks to his ex-wife.

So, I’ve been thinking about those comments, and about our family. Several people mentioned “The Canoe Test,” as a way to know if your relationship was one that would last. You take a canoe trip together and if both of you come out of the water at the end of the trip, laughing, with great stories, you are ready to commit. I don’t like that idea because Buds and I took a canoe trip early on and I was a royal, controlling pain in the keister. Truly, a wench.

But, what if you consider a laughter test? So often I hear from my friends who have good relationships and strong families about how they have little family jokes, or they tease each other, or how much laughter they share. I’m so grateful Buds and I share a similar sense of humor and that we crack each other up! How horrid would it be to have a partner who didn’t know how to laugh?

And our kids share a similar funny bone, too. Family jokes, and making kids cackle with laughter, is a favorite part of my day. Even just acting silly enough to have Monkey say, “Mooommmm!” in that “You are being too silly” voice, makes me smile.

So, here’s to strong love, strong laughter, and strong relationships. May we all be so blessed.