“The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.” – Mark Twain
A car drove through the plate glass window of the Democratic Club’s offices in Oakland.
No one was hurt as a driver, parked in the strip mall on Route 202, accidentally stepped on the gas and crashed thru the store front window of the campaign offices for Peter Kikot and Cheryl Picolli who are running for two council seats this November.
Once it was established that the store front was empty and the driver safe, the jokes began…
“Was the driver a Republican?”
“Parking is always a problem there”.
Peter Kikot put his own humorous spin on the situation by posting a sign saying, “Open During Renovation, Drive-Thru To Remain Closed.”
In the situation with the Democratic offices being crashed, what could have been tragic soon became fodder for a communal chuckle; and it reflects how humor is often a coping mechanism for people faced with an unwanted, difficult, or even tragic situation.
Laughter is also often described as the best medicine, and the Mayo Clinic reports that the evidence supporting this prescription is growing.
Besides lightening one’s mood mentally and emotionally, laughter has some direct physical benefits. Laughter stimulates your heart, lungs and muscles, enhances your intake of oxygen-rich air, and increases those feel good endorphins in your brain.
Some researchers say the benefits of exercise and laughter are very similar in that laughter also improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can help protect you against cardiovascular problems.
Laughter is an inalienable right, and babies begin laughing out loud within months of being born. So, as you drive by the Democratic office on Ramapo Valley Road, don’t be afraid to laugh.