What I Learned From Eavesdropping Today: Laughter Yoga

“A friend turned me onto something called Laughter yoga!  It’s on Friday nights and it’s just an hour of laughter!  Isn’t that neat?”

I was sitting in Starbucks this afternoon, absentmindedly sipping my iced mocha, browsing facebook, and trying to avoid my Fitzgerald paper for as long as possible when I “accidentally” over heard this women talking about “Laughter Yoga.”  I googled it.

They. Have. A. .org. Website.

“Laughter Yoga is a revolutionary idea – simple and profound. An exercise routine, it is sweeping the world and is a complete wellbeing workout.

The brainchild of Dr. Madan Kataria, a Physician from Mumbai, India, launched the first Laughter Club at a Park on March 13, 1995, with merely a handful of persons. Today, it has become a worldwide phenomenon with more than 6000 Social Laughter Clubs in about 60 countries.

Laughter Yoga combines Unconditional Laughter with Yogic Breathing (Pranayama). Anyone can Laugh for No Reason, without relying on humor, jokes or comedy. Laughter is simulated as a body exercise in a group; with eye contact and childlike playfulness, it soon turns into real and contagious laughter. The concept of Laughter Yoga is based on a scientific fact that the body cannot differentiate between fake and real laughter. One gets the same physiological and psychological benefits.”

Yep, that's right, laughing...

Who knew?  I like the idea.  I might have to check in out.  Goodness knows everyone could use a little more laughter in their lives. It’s also yet another reason that I need (scratch that) MUST go to India one day.  It pretty much has everything.  Color, yoga, elephants, and, obviously, an abundance of laughter. 🙂

Does this count?

How about this? 😉

I have no doubt that sitting and laughing for an hour does a world of good for a person.  Whenever I look at that picture above of my mom and I laughing hysterically about something at my wedding, it makes me laugh and sometime even giggle a little.  It puts me in a good mood.  Laughing does that to a person. 🙂

Speaking of eavesdropping, as much as I HATE professor Lukasik, she told us yesterday that we need to start inconspicuously eavesdropping on random people.  I’ve always been a fan of this as people say they weirdest things sometimes — especially when you come in mid-conversation.  However, now I have permission. 😉
Therefore, I’m starting something new here that will happen every once in a while : What I Learned from Eavesdropping Today.  ha. 😛

Trolling for Dates… or Something…

Have you ever gotten to that point in your life that making friends just doesn’t happen any more and you feel like you have to go out and actively find friends?  And then it reminds you of the awkward dating stages of your life.
I realized I was at that point when I started at Roosevelt University in August 2008.  I was coming in as a junior and knew maybe one other student whom I had gone to high school with.  I was engaged to Jeremy at the time, planning my wedding, and living with some good friends from Illinois Tech.  Still, I knew I desperately needed some literary friends.
Que Christine Shea… 😉
Christine and I had 3 classes together my first semester at Roosevelt.  She was also transferring in as a junior and also and English major.   I think by the end of the third class we had together that first week, I recognized her as someone who I would get to know over the course of the semester.  But, boy, was she intimidating!  She talked to teachers and to other students she didn’t know, she was outspoken and smart.  She had cute hair and said funny things.  I think I had a girl crush.  😉   (Surprise, Christine!!)
I remember trying to talk to her on our way to the Chicago Cultural Center one day, hoping we could be friends.  But then she saw Shelly.. *gasp*…  Shelly was wearing a shirt that depicted some kind of band that I knew nothing about.  Curses! I thought as Christine turned away from my advances to talk to Shelly — whom I assumed was completely cooler than me.  I was so disappointed.
I went home that day and cried to Jeremy, “I thought we were doing so well.  But it looks like she chose Shelly over me!”  Suddenly it hit me: actively trying to be friends with someone is like trying to get a date.  As our friendship grew, I lamented over whether to call her or facebook her.  If it was too soon to go out, too soon to invite her to my wedding.  Jeremy found this pretty amusing.  It was ridiculous, but I’m glad I can laugh about it now.

I was reminded of this when I went to Stitch ‘n Bitch tonight.  I was excited to go and meet women outside of the university setting.  I lamented all day about what project to bring, what I should wear, what I should say.  I really wanted them to like me.  I stopped around 3:00pm and shook my head at myself.  Its like I was trolling for dates.
One of the ladies (is it too soon to reveal her name? 😛 ) was talking about the infamous mom cards that women have started to make up with their kids’ names and ages and their own names, phone numbers, emails, etc.  She was talking about meeting new moms and worrying about when to call them.  We all laughed, but its totally true.

As it turns out, I had a wonderful time at Stitch ‘n Bitch.  I met some great ladies and found an great group to hang out with on Monday nights.  What was I so worried about again? 😉
I’m thankful that meeting men is the very least of my worries, but I could always do with a few more girlfriends. 🙂

I love Post Secret

I usually skim Post Secret on a weekly basis.  This one was there this week.  It made me feel good and maybe helped me believe Jeremy a  little more when he says he doesn’t mind it. 🙂

Motha, he’s stealing my socks…

Happy Labor Day! 😉

I’ve labored away today on homework, my B.O.B. sweater, and of course a couple of naps. 🙂

We had a really nice weekend though.  My aunt came to visit from Michigan and we all spent some time together on Friday.  Saturday, Jeremy and I ran some errands, went out to dinner with my family and had everyone over for cake and games.  Sunday, we saw my dad for a couple hours (he’s been deployed for the past month and a half, so it was nice to catch up with him) and then we decided to put off homework and laundry and spent the day lounging around our very clean and organized apartment.

I really enjoy the weekends I get to spend a lot of time with my family.  I think I can really say my family makes up the majority of my best friends.  What can I say, I’m a lucky girl. 😉

I haven’t actually left my apartment since Saturday night though.  I find that if I seal myself into my apartment for as long as possible, then my allergies don’t get quite so out of control.  Poor Jeremy has been running out to do laundry and run to the grocery store and all that jazz for me.  What a nice husband he is, eh? 🙂  I don’t have to leave again until tomorrow night, which will make 3 straight days of filtered air…  Just need that one heavy frostttt….

I finished up reading Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” and I can honestly say I don’t care for it.  I hate stories where the characters seem to be just floating through their lives waiting for something big to really happen.  I think its because its the opposite of my personality, but whateva.

Looking forward to my second week of classes.  That will last for another couple weeks before I’m complaining that Christmas is too far away.  Speaking of Christmas, I’m making a good dent in my Christmas knitting.  This may be the last year of knitted presents for everyone though…  My hands have been protesting lately… 😦

Well, how’s that for a hodge podge of subjects? 😉

I’m Knitting a Sweater…

I sat through my first creative writing class today.  I’m a little bummed out that Scott Blackwood — head of the creative writing dept at Roosevelt– pushed the class off onto another professor.  I was really looking forward to working with him.  But I now have Gail Lukasik, who has written a couple mystery novels.  She’s scary in a scary, old, angry lady way…  I’m not sold that she’s superior to Blackwood in the least.  But she’s actually published something, so she has one up on me ;)…

Anywho, she had us do a quick 10 minute free write today with the following prompt: Writing is like…

Without any hesitation, I jumped into a page long description of how writing is like knitting a sweater.  Soooo, for your amusement, here is my free write sans edits.  😉
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Writing is like knitting a sweater.  You start with a great idea, a theme, a color, a pattern, a prompt.  You prepare yourself for what you’re about to do.  You plan what goes where or sometimes you feel experimental and you just jump in.
When you knit a sweater, the first thing you do is cast on a certain number of stitches.  Similarly, in writing the first thing you do is write that first sentence.  You continue on, knitting stitch by stitch, writing word by word.  Sometimes you get a little creative and sometimes you just want to keep it simple.  The flaws and intricacies are what keep things interesting.
Eventually, your sweater project gets boring and you’re anxious to move onto something new and fresh.  Do you finish and hurry through the anticlimactic middle, abandon your sweater halfway through– frogging the whole thing, or do you persevere and take your time – training yourself to keep going and crafting each stitch?  If you do keep on, you’ll end with something beautiful, exactly what you wanted.  Yea, writing is kind of like that.
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At this point, I ran out of ink in my pen, naturally. 😉  I suppose I should be able to find a connection between two of my favorite hobbies. 🙂

In other news, anything green needs to officially DIE for the season.  I can’t see, I can’t breathe, and I itch.  I HATE POLLEN!!!  I’ve been taking a ton of benadryl, but it is completely worth it. yuck.