My 4 month old puppy goes berserk in her greetings, meeting us every morning with tail wagging ecstatically, back wiggling and twisting joyfully in her obvious unabashed delight to see us.

Gavin and his mate Smithy from the ‘Gavin and Stacey Show’ have a joyous, energetic greeting ritual that involves hip shaking, hand slapping, swivels and a rhythmical chant. This is carried out with such genuine enthusiasm that passers- by stand and smile.

What greetings will you use today? A saucy grin, a cheesy smile, a colourful ‘cooee’ with manic waving, or a supersonic hug that takes the breath away?

Ok, this last suggestion may be too much for the window cleaner, but who knows?

Let me know your favourite greeting, I would love to hear from you.

Sending joyous greetings to you and yours,

Lisa x

In this highly articulate world that we live in, it is sometimes a relief to speak in a completely daft, non- grammatical way and still connect with another person, just for the fun of it!

Do you remember Bill and Ben the Flower pot men?

Toddlers and young children are experts at speaking in “Gibberish”, a fantasy language made up of a jumble of vowels and consonants and delivered with enthusiasm and great aplomb.

If you look up  ‘Gibberish ‘ on the internet it sometimes stipulates a certain order of sounds and structure to this secretive, fun language, but I am talking about ‘stuff and nonsense’ and  ‘making it up as you go along’ speak.

Do you remember conversing with a mate as a kid in a totally silly manner that both of you instantly understood and no-one could fathom what you were on about but had you in stitches?

If you haven’t tried this for a while a good place to start is over the breakfast table, discussing the forth coming events for the day and passing the butter.

Gibberish is great for dispelling over- the top rows with troubled teenagers over tidying up their rooms and even starting meetings at work by greeting people with a gibberish welcome and a compliment to start the day.

There are various variations to nonsense speaking….try:-

• Gibberish in a saucy French accent
• Speaking as fast as you possibly can as if the words were running out your mouth
• Being a mad professor for 5 minutes (amazing how much we then use our arms and facial expressions)
• Talk in absolute gibberish with a serious expression, then add ‘ha ha ha’ convincingly to the end of the sentence
• Experiment with rhyme and words that make you smile …plop plop, plinky plonky
• Give a friend a word and take turns expanding them to the ridiculous…

Eg. Crum, Crumtastic, Crumdiddlydoodly, Crumdidliyumptious, Crumflangelic

Try the following sentences in your own Gibberish:-

1. I have dropped my earring down the toilet.
2. I would love to help you wash up but I am feeling a trifle faint.
3. He has a pea stuck up his nose.
4. You are looking radiant and beautiful today.

I have been told on occasions that I talk a load of gibberish, and will continue to do so. I leave you with these wise words,

“ Slum incan too toos front a lopsadaisy kerant a tooey.”

Happy Playing!

When you see someone looking quite unhappy and then catch their face lighting up as they exchange a smile with another, you realise something truly lovely is occurring.

It is well documented that it only takes seventeen muscles to smile and forty-three or so to frown, but smiling is so much more than facial exercise. It’s the universal welcome, the equivalent of an open heart and open arms in our controlled, often repressed society.

A smile informs us from the heart.

“It helps us to know, that even if we are sad about something, we are more than our sadness.” (Susan Jeffers)

Even on a bad day, if we smile at others we get smiles galore in return, restoring our faith in ourselves, in others and the human race in general. Who can resist a smile?

Reminding ourselves of happy times can bring a smile….bring a warm, lovely memory to mind now…make it really colourful and big and close…..step in to the picture as if you were really there, reliving it in all its colourful detail…hear what you heard at the time…see what you saw… feel what you felt…enjoy this memory for a moment or two….how is your smile now?

There are many types of smile, cheeky smiles, saucy smiles, shy smiles, mischievous smiles, surprised smiles, I’ve won the lottery smiles, and you are beautiful smiles….

Try some out today and let me know your favourites, we never know where a smile might lead us…… as Mary H. Waldrip stated “A laugh is a smile that burst.”

I am not advocating we forget about the serious stuff, more that when we remember to laugh with life then we are in a better, stronger position to handle whatever life throws at us.

Taking ourselves seriously is always a danger, when we get caught up in daily struggles and issues that really need a smattering of giggles and often a few full blown laughs to blow then away. Yes, I know worries don’t disappear completely but they definitely seem lighter and smaller when I next look at them!

We all know how it feels to have a real gripe about something, then chat it over with a playful friend and all of a sudden the problem seems to be quite amusing, especially when we exaggerate certain bits and look for the ridiculous amongst the angst.

How many things were catastrophic when they first happened, but then made a really funny embarrassing story to tell people at a later date?

Embarrassing stories are a great way to stop us from taking life too seriously. This week, see if you can remind yourself of one of these cringing moments in your life/career and share with another, swapping tales of embarrassment is a great way to bring laughter to any situation.

Ultimately when life goes pear-shaped, ask yourself these questions:-

• Will this still be monumentally important in 2 years time?
• Can I tell someone about this exaggerating wildly so that it appears even faintly ridiculous?
• Which part of this, if any, can I laugh or smile about?
• If I was a comedy writer or producer how would I turn this into a hilariously funny film?
• If I can’t laugh at the moment, what would it be like if I could?

The serious path is not always the easiest or the most fun…..it’s all about choice at the end of the day.

Remember to have fun with your life, be playful and laugh whenever you want to or need to.

Let me know how you get on, and if you have any embarrassing stories to share then please email me and let me hear them!

World Laughter Day was started with the huge vision of uniting people in Peace and Harmony across the world through laughter.

There is so much tragedy and grief in this world, but also Hope.

Hope and Faith is what drives us forward in life, giving us a glimmer of a smile when we thought there was none.

I am so looking forward to laughing with friends, family and complete strangers on Sunday 2nd May at West Wittering Beach.We are collecting donations for ‘Children on The Edge’, a fantastic locally-based charity which helps orphaned and vulnerable children globally.

There will be live music and an open air laughter session led by members of the National Laughter Network. We don’t use jokes, although jokes are great. We understand that laughter is unconditional and does not need to rely on an external stimulus, it comes from within. With willingness and a bit of encouragement we learn that we can laugh whatever our circumstances, and by doing so we are able to let go and embrace the lighter side of life.

Come and join in this global celebration of laughter in the outdoors, listen to live music and take some time to chill out and have some fun, uniting with others who like us, are striving for Peace and Happiness for all.

See you on the 2nd May, 10.30 am for 11 am start by the cafe, West Wittering Beach.

Bring a smile and a hopeful heart!

We tend to constantly delay our happiness until some time in the future, with conditions firmly in place.

The trouble is, when we place our happiness so far in the future we can hardly see it, let alone feel it, hear it, smell it, taste it or revel in it! The price we pay for continually attaching conditions on our happiness is that we never really get there. As soon as one condition is satisfied…oops ….out pops another reason for not being truly happy. In the meantime we often float around in a semi- frustrated ‘limbo’ state, always with one eye on the  horizon and a yearning for future satisfaction, rather than enjoying what is going on right NOW.

Right NOW may not be perfect, it will probably not be fully satisfactory according to our plans and it may indeed be very challenging. But if we give ourselves fully  to what is going on and focus our attention in the here and now we realize how fantastic the present moment really is.

Ask yourself, right now,( letting go of any thoughts for the past or the future), in this present moment, in this breath, in this room , in this body, can I be happy right now?

When we are totally absorbed and in the ‘flow’ of what is going on, all our senses get heightened, like that of a very young child.

Laughter is a really fast way to enjoying the present. It focuses our attention in our  bodies rather than in our heads. It tells us lightly but firmly ‘that this is where we need to be, this is where we can let go and feel great.”Laughter releases us from the everyday experience and can be enjoyed at any time,  despite our circumstances.

Life is all about choice. We can choose to laugh at any time if we give ourselves permission, if we accept that we can be happy despite any external events that are going on in our lives.It is a very powerful choice. It is not saying that the existing circumstances are not important or that we are avoiding facing up to them, rather that we are deserving of happiness at any time and that when we welcome laughter into our lives we know more fun, more joy and a strength of spirit that never leaves us .

Take the time to be still today, to focus on how your body feels, inside and out.

Take time to laugh today, to let go and bring some chuckles to your body, either with people or on your own.

Choose to be happy today, right now.

Email me and let me know how you get on, I would love to hear from you.

Toboganning, or should I say ‘making do’ with a small plastic tray, a gardening bag and a trusty body board (like a surf-board for the petrified) provided hours of free entertainment and laughter last weekend.

Lurching myself off the top of an icy slope onto a lumpy, bumpy snowy track, clinging onto said board for dear life and screaming all the way down not only exercised my lungs but brought out the giggles. It is not the average way to spend a ladylike afternoon and all attempts to look good on the slopes disappeared alongside my ungainly starts which led to me eating snow (accidentally), giving into girlish giggles and finding that when I got home my mascara had run all down my face (thanks for telling me everyone!) either due to the laughing or the wet snow I am not sure which.

What makes your eyes light up? What makes you giggle?

Email me and let me know your stories and in the meantime wherever you are and whatever you are doing remember to have fun with your life.

Can you pull a camel face? A face that says “I’m desperate for the loo” or a face that launched a thousand ships? What about a ‘ first thing in the morning’  face?

Exercising your facial muscles not only keeps them supple, it improves your complexion, texture and colour, giving you a healthy, cheeky glow. Working out your face relaxes tension, increases circulation and stimulates your eyes, reducing puffiness and putting that naughty twinkle in there!

Pulling faces not only achieves all these benefits, but it also is said to stimulate the thymus gland, which is linked to the immune system. Pulling outrageously mad and goofy faces makes us and others laugh – the natural tonic for the long winter evenings!

So pucker up – treat your friends/colleagues/family/passers by to a Frankie Howard face, just when they are least suspecting it, or hold face pulling competitions where no one is allowed to laugh…strengthen your immune system, entertain yourself and others all completely free!

Have fun and be happy this Christmas, and remember to do the things that give you the most JOY !

Is this a strange question, after all, for us adults life is full of demands, schedules, meetings, responsibilities – where does play fit in with all of that?

Sometimes our lives are so full to the brim with grown up seriousness we forget to see the lighter side of life.

But play is such a great tool for letting go, for remembering to laugh, for feeling joyful , for relaxing and for unleashing our creativity.

I met a man on at a Laughter session this year who told me that after a busy day at work, whatever his mood, he dances down the steps on his way to the car and it never fails to lift his spirits . What an inspiration!

I have a tendency to prance around the kitchen to loud music, hairbrush in hand, pretending I am Madonna, performing somewhat out of tune but with great gusto. Singing out loud in the car/ shower/Sussex countryside makes me feel alive and ready for anything.It brings out the playful side of me, the side that never wants to grow up.

Silly walks, talking in comical voices, pulling faces and outrageous dancing are only some of the ways to let more fun and joy into life.Some people find joy in gardening, sailing, climbing Everest, washing up and having  soap sud bubble battles or pillow fights. Whatever makes you feel younger than 8 years old is always a good starting point for play.

As the wonderful Robert Holden says:-

“Being silly is not silly; being silly is a first step to being free.”

We often delay fun and laughter until we have washed the dog, emptied the dishwasher, written the report, won X-factor…….but what about right NOW?

Stop everything and just become aware of your breathing. Begin to feel a warm, slow smile start to grow in your tummy, spreading love and warmth around your body. Allow yourself to connect with this feeling and feel it spreading like melting butter up to your mouth and eyes, until it spreads into a humungous smile across your face. Now give me the biggest, cheesiest chuckle imaginable.

Let me know your ideas for putting a spring in your step, a glow in your heart and a silly grin on your face…..I would love to hear them!

Yours playfully,

Lisa x

If you are lucky enough to live in a strong, connected community you might indeed know your neighbours very well.

But most of us don’t. We live very separate, individual lives most of the time. When working full time , for example, there’s barely enough time to peel a carrot let alone connect with your next door neighbours.

Laughter, however, is a great tool for connecting with others. When chatting to strangers at bus stops/train platforms/supermarket checkouts (I know it’s not just me!) there’s often that wonderful moment when eyes light up and laughter lets rip and suddenly you are convulsed together laughing at something utterly ridiculous. It seems immaterial where you live, what you do for a living or what planet you come from.

When we laugh with someone we are connecting at a very deep level, a level that unites us.

The joy of the laughter moment is that in it’s hilarity we are  released us from the everyday stuff and we realize that we are all, underneath, essentially the same.

We laugh with others far more easily than on our own. The human being is designed for social encounters and thrives on positive group interaction. That’s why they put canned laughter on TV sitcoms and comedy sketches, so we feel obliged to chuckle in unison with others.

At our Laughter Club we laugh together regardless of age/sex/interests/taste in shoes and there’s a huge amount of freedom in letting go with others and laughing till your sides ache.

Even a smile is a chance to connect, and when smiles come out of nowhere, unexpected and unasked, they never fail to warm the cockles of our hearts in a second.

Email me and let me know about yoursmile/laughter connections…….I would love to hear from you!

Love and chuckles,

Lisa x