The Best Medicine

It is said that laughter is the best medicine but I want to add to that statement.

Laughter among friends is the best medicine.

This is the time of year when most of us eat stress, worry and exhaustion like they are those soft, puffy after dinner mints.  I for one know that I tend to make a meal off those little worries and often lose sight of the important things.  The Season, job worries, financial worries, the never ending battle of the bulge, worry about my mother’s upcoming eye surgery, etc. have really caused me to be uptight lately. 

As if I didn’t already have enough on my plate I have also been working on trying to overcome one of my little quirks. I get really worked up when people are in my house.  Yes, even when my mother comes over I get sideways.  I’m always concerned, ridiculously so, that my house isn’t grand enough, clean enough, the furnishings good/chic enough, maybe the people will not like having cats in the house, there might be a smell off whack, the neighborhood isn’t fancy enough, and on and on and on.  A few weeks ago I stepped out of my comfort zone and invited a friend over for coffee.  She was a good test for me because she loves me in spite of myself and helps me see through the fog of self doubt.  The stress before was high but once she got there and we started chatting and laughing I wondered why I was concerned in the first place.  Feeling high on emotion I immediately planned another little get-together only this time with several friends.  Oh no!  Had I jumped straight out of the frying pan into the fire?

Coffee with friends

I invited a few friends over for coffee, snacks and a relaxing morning to escape some of the stress of the Season.  Notice I said stress because after I sent the invitations I started snacking on STRESS like those yummy after dinner mints.  Then I took a minute and thought about why I was stressed.  All of the ladies invited are my FRIENDS.  They love me in spite of myself.  My house may not be the grandest but you know what? It is mine and I like to think I’ve made a good home for me and my munchkins.  My house may not be the cleanest but I work a full time job, have two kids, two cats and a full life.  It isn’t condemnable so it all works.  These are my friends and they will either accept me and my little house or not.  If not, then they really aren’t my friends to begin with, right? 

Me worry?

When my friends began to arrive I realized something very quickly.  Yes, they all glanced around the house but we were all focused on one another, fellowshipping, laughing, consuming our coffee and all the yummy foods.  One sweet friend, T, asked me if I was doing OK because she knows about my freaky nature.  The stress was light and the time together was the absolute best.

We discussed serious topics, laughed at our own silliness, shared secrets and best of all, the ladies that came in not knowing one another left with new friends.  When it was all said and done I was exhausted but feeling better mentally than I have in months.

Laughter among friends is the best medicine!

Thank you to my sweet friends that came and spent their morning with me yesterday.  You can’t imagine how much I appreciate you.  Let’s get together again soon!

A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. ~ Proverbs 17:22 (ESV)