On Laughing & Filling Joy Reservoirs

Harsh realities disappear with a laugh, if even just for a second. That’s why we call it medicine, right — it administers a dose of joy that can help things inside of us heal. Funny people are just that because we can relate to what they’re saying, our brains seeminglyram,en matching up. Funny people make normal the things in life that we sometimes feel alone in. The quirks ourselves and others possess, strange public interactions, our children and relationships, how crazy our world is.

It gives us a break, laughing. And during this — what are we on day 51 or so of COVID-19 quarantine? — I am searching HARD for the medicine. Give it to me. Send me all the funnies.

I say this a lot: “Nourished Folks is a place where you can come to fill your joy reservoirs.”

Reservoirs are holding tanks. A place where things collect, like water and wildlife and oxygen. In my version, it’s a huge basket of extra stuff we can tap into if we happen to run out. For instance if you run out of joy because these days seem unending and depressing and exhausting, you can go to the basket and inject a bit of your reserve supply.

I’m eating my words, creating my words, searching for the action that backs up this Nourished folks motto. One day, the sun is shining bright on my old Kentucky home and I’m feeling hilarious and optimistic and conscious about every little decision I make. Then the dark rain day comes swooping in after a night’s sleep and slaps my joy to the ground. It’s so hard to take the medicine on the days where your body, heart and mind feel defeated. Honestly, those days feel just frozen with sadness and a little bit of impatient rage.

Can you relate?

I’m tapping into my reserves daily. Every time you see me posting a TikTok or talkin’ about something that, at least, I think is funny — LOL LMAO HAHA HARHAR — that’s me both tapping into and refilling my joy reservoir, while also trying to give you some to fill yours.

When you are in my space, whether it be on social media, in-person or along the crevices of the food, we’re gonna try and find some joy to put in our holding tanks. It’s not required and I realize that some days and instances simply do not contain joy. I’m here for all of that, too, trust me.

But we’re gonna try. To dig deep if we have to, let it flow if it’s there. I want you to be SO DANG YOU when you’re in my space that you feel SO DANG FREE to laugh, (and cry, but we can talk about that another time). We’ve been told our whole lives to dim our lights — don’t shine too bright, don’t be too much, settle down, calm down.

Nope — not here.