Laughing Again

I'm laughing again.
I feel I've been someone else this past month – sober, serious, and calm. In fact, I've tried NOT to see the funny side of things and I've hoped there wouldn't be a punch line, for to laugh meant pain; a sharp pain below my right breast, underneath my sternum and lower rib area. It began the first morning of April, also known as April Fools Day, in my hotel room in Beijing. I would double-over in pain if laughter found me. Thus, joy, mirth, gladness, humor, and belly laughing, in addition to sneezing and coughing, became associated with punishment.
That's never happened before.
Laughter is me; it's part of the way folks describe me, "The one with the belly laugh!" To not laugh goes against my fabric.
Through this past month I've wondered whether I'm depressed because I've been so quiet. Instead of life consisting of emotional highs and lows, I've been humming along the lower notes without benefit of the higher staccato and fuller range of expression. It's sobering - literally! I felt sad much of the time, my lightness of spirit was missing, and I had the doldrums.
My painful lung wasn't the only thing I was working through: I've characterized this trip to China as one of struggle, so I've been recovering from the various challenges I met along the way; I've been sorting and processing the information Teacher Hong gave me; treating a digestive issue; and, no doubt, suffering jetlag.
At the same time, I recognized the benefits of being quiet - time for introspection, centeredness and calmness. I took time to just BE, and found it to be rejuvenating and rewarding.
Yesterday, the last day of April, I laughed heartily with two clients (I do "laugh therapy," right?!) and found it refreshing! I felt I was coming home to myself.
This quote has been on my bulletin board for several years, but I don't know where I got it…
"Dr William Fry, an authority on laughter, calls laughing "internal jogging." He claims that laughing, even when it isn't completely genuine, can be beneficial. Laughter doubles the heart rate for three or five minutes and provides a complete workout for the upper torso. It is said to reduce muscle tension, stimulate the nervous system, deaden pain and energize the brain."
Okay, I ready for some comedy relief!