Here’s the beginning of Maya Angelou’s poem, “Continue.”

“My wish for you
is that you continue
            Continue
To be who and how you are
To astonish a mean world
With your acts of kindness
            Continue
To allow humor to lighten the burden
Of your tender heart
            Continue
In a society dark with cruelty
To let the people hear the grandeur
Of God in the peals of your laughter…”

Laughter. What a concept. I don’t think I laugh nearly enough. I think of laughter as an outgrowth of a carefree life, and that ain’t me right now. However, maybe I have things backwards. Maybe laughing more would help me manage my care-filled life.

Proverbs 31:25 “She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.” Proverbs 31 is likely a metaphor for wisdom in action. To be wise means to be clothed with so much strength and dignity that even the future (even 2020!) won’t ultimately defeat us—personally, politically, even globally.

The Bible has a last chapter. It’s good.

Proverbs 17:22 holds another tidbit on the topic. “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”

Laughter. A means for people to hear the grandeur of God. Wisdom. Good medicine.  

Laughter sounds like a pretty good idea, even when things aren’t perfectly carefree.