It’s something new for everyone on this website. LAUGHTER! Everyone with brain injury or brain dysfunction of any sort have some silly things they do periodically, but some of us more frequently than others…like several times a day!
Laughter… (Photo credit: leodelrosa…)
At the time we do these goofy things we are frustrated with ourselves we either cry or think of ourselves as “plain stupid.” It really doesn’t seem funny at the time, because we just simply can’t figure out what is wrong and don’t notice. In retrospect, when we realize what we did we can laugh! It’s truly difficult to understand this, until you’ve been there.
But, in the meantime, I’ve decided to begin sharing the crazy things I’ve done and either you’ll laugh with me; see yourself in the mirror as though it were you; and simply know you are not alone. Laughter and humor is truly the best medicine. I want to post one silly thing a week, so my goal will be to write our Laughter as Brain Injury Medicine on Wednesdays. Feel free to offer any of your situations you would like to share. I might need to add an additional day a week for our LAUGHTER!
For those that read this and don’t have brain injuries, laugh with us! We’re tired of struggling with the things we cannot change but are blessed to have a sense of humor!
LAUGHTER as BRAIN INJURY MEDICINE
I was talking on the telephone to my sister in Wyoming from Ohio. I needed to call her back in a few minutes. She waited, and waited, and waited. I tried to call her but I couldn’t get a dial-tone. I tried every avenue to dialing her telephone number but the call just could not be completed or even initiated. I sat at the side of my bed frustrated and couldn’t figure out what the problem was. I even tried calling the telephone company. I was sure there was some type of power failure. Even the telephone company could not be reached. No dial tone. No responses. No nothing…and than my telephone rang!
It was my sister calling me back, since I didn’t get back to her. I realized at that point I just answered the telephone. I than knew why I couldn’t get in touch with anyone. I was dialing my television remote control.
Hotel room – I love this remote! (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Yep, it’s really hard to get people to talk on your remote control for the television! Well, the remote control was about the same size of my wireless telephone. Now, I own a huge remote control for the television.
Moral of the story: If you look like you are talking on your remote control, you might be inadvertently trying to! Call back your loved one if they don’t return your call in the amount of time they said they would. Help them out, it might be as simple as calling back.
Related articles
- The Health Benefits of Laughter (everydayhealth.com)
- The neuroscience of laughter – 5 minute mini-lecture by Sophie Scott (generallythinking.com)
- Guest Post: Character Ed: Laughter – It REALLY is the Best Medicine, and Then Some (prettyopinionated.com)
- Is Laughter The Best Medicine? (myviewandopinion.wordpress.com)
- Aphasia, brain injury, prison, Marcus Rosenberger. 2/22/12, life is a gift that not all of us receive… (braininjuryselfrehabilitation.com)
- Joy to the World (fibromodem.wordpress.com)
braininjuryselfrehabilitation 
danbalva
May 2, 2012 at 2:45 am
Great post! I would also like to nominate you for the HUG award!
See http://hurdlestohappiness.wordpress.com/2012/05/02/the-hug-award/ and
http://ahopefortoday.com/2012/01/14/hope-unites-globally-hug-award-guidelines/ for guidelines! Congratulations!! ☺ Best, Dan
brain injury self rehabilitation (BISR)
May 2, 2012 at 5:25 pm
Dan, I am humbled and appreciate your thoughtfulness in nominating me for the H.U.G. Award. I’ve read the guidelines and it’s a lot to take in. I’ve been nominated for other awards, but don’t really know what to do with them (old brain injury), but I appreciate it all the same. Maybe someday I’ll have someone help me with posting them on my home page. I’m still struggling with figuring out my website, but learning by repetition eventually works! I’ve been a typist for over 40 years, so writing to help others comes easy, albeit not grammatically correct any longer…but it gets the message out there. I’m still not very good with following through with directions! Thank you for the award and accepting me for who I am and what I do. Take care and stay safe, Edie
heidirmoore
May 2, 2012 at 10:12 am
That takes the cake! You have to be ” one of us” to fully comprehend the beauty of this story!!! Loved it!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂
brain injury self rehabilitation (BISR)
May 2, 2012 at 4:37 pm
Hope it’s bringing many laughs! Happy you enjoyed it and could see the humor in the story!
Kathy
May 2, 2012 at 11:21 am
I remember taking a picture of the new remote control!!! That thing could be used as a weapon if one needed to. Wish you would have posted a picture of it – it is almost as big as ones head only flat!! We did have a good laugh that night.
brain injury self rehabilitation (BISR)
May 2, 2012 at 4:39 pm
My remote control is nearly as big as my computer. I just saw a calculator the same size, and thought about this situation with my remote control!
Maria Tatham
May 2, 2012 at 11:16 pm
Edie, I laughed out loud, funny and sad. The idea of your ‘Laughter as Brain Injury Medicine’ Wednesdays is great and can help us all. Go, girl!
brain injury self rehabilitation (BISR)
May 3, 2012 at 8:28 am
I’m happy to get laughter as a healthy response. Laughter is so important, and at the time it’s so frustrating it’s unimaginable…but later after these situations it seems so ridiculously funny that it actually happens! Hopefully it will also offer understanding of the frustrations in the daily life of so many people. We want to Laugh-On and use Humor in life, another excellent and healthy coping mechanism. It’s helping me survive!
wendy
May 16, 2012 at 10:17 am
We laugh around here about things I thought I heard. For instance we were watching an old Flash Gordon movie the other day…no subtitles. Very hard for me…but it was funny. I kept asking strange questions like one point they were going to use some kind of ray gun on the bad guys…a multi ray…or something like that….
I heard Multi-grain, and asked, What are they doing with multi-grains? Everyone laughed. After that every time they used that ray, someone would say…they are beating them with Multi-grain! Really it was so funny. I just laughed and laughed. There were other times during that movie I heard strange things but that’s the one I really remember.
I keep thinking I need to keep a little book about “What I thought He said”….I miss hear my husband so often.
anyone with a chronic illness could be helped if they learn to laugh about many of their challenges.
brain injury self rehabilitation (BISR)
May 16, 2012 at 7:43 pm
I love this. Could I use it in another post? It’s similar to this: We were passing Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream a couple years back and I said let’s stop at “Dunkin Robbins”! So now we always call it Dunkin Robbins. My son likes my version better. He says it’s catchier and not as boring of a name. So, I’ll be thinking of the Multi-grains and laughing with you.
wendy
May 17, 2012 at 8:43 am
Of course you can use it…any time. You don’t have to ask.
Not sure why,,,,but your story reminded me of once a long time ago, my mother was about to run a red light and I started yelling, “It’s black!, It’s Black!”…..why? I have no idea. Amazing that she actually stopped. But after that we laughed about the black street lights in that town.
brain injury self rehabilitation (BISR)
May 17, 2012 at 12:52 pm
It helps to share these stories, because others can learn from them. They may be able to read or hear these stories, even if they can’t see what’s wrong! I believe this can help bring better understand to others. It’s not about those who think it happens once-in-awhile (as it does with everyone) but, it’s a daily occurrence…and I’m sure you can add so many things. I’ll think of the “black” traffic light, and I’m laughing now knowing I’ve done so many of the same.