Last night I woke myself up with a snort—several snorts, actually. They were nose-rendered snorts that grow out of a laugh. I had a dream about an actual event in my life, one that took place two days before the dream. There was nothing abnormal or supernatural about this dream. It was a duplicate of the event, a photocopy if you will; both of which gave me a very good laugh.
I was sitting in a classroom, talking to several students. One of these students happened to dislike Los Angeles.
“I’m not sure about L.A. It’s so full of posers,” he said.
As quick as a whip, another student responded, “Why don’t I pose as serial killer and start with you.”
This older student was an Angeleno native. His remark struck everyone in the vicinity with laughter. The recipient was a little chagrined, but even he had to laugh after a moment of pause.
This pinch of dark humor was just what I needed in my otherwise serious day. I laughed on my way home when I thought about it, and I had to repeat it to several friends, whom I thought would appreciate it too.
It must have seeped into my subconscious because last night I dreamt about it, and I woke up snorting with laughter. Now, I will admit that I do snore and, on occasion, I have woken myself up because of this. But the snort from laughter was different because it originated from a subconscious feeling of joy.
Happiness is more than laughter or joy. It is constituted by a range of emotions, but when it is subconscious it does have a way of infecting the day-to-day feelings we move through life with. It’s the difference between the grouch and the jester, and it may be one of the emotions that leads to a longer life span.
If we were to take all the laughter in the world and tabulate its quantity for the average life of a human being, we may find that it’s not more than sadness, anger, hatred, or jealousy. Then again we may find that it is. Either way, we may choose to nurture it like we do our children. We choose to be who we are through our actions, thoughts, and feelings. We can make happiness grow within, even through a sleep snort.
Copyright © Tyler Gant 2010 for Just Moving Along .com
