Bonds of Laughter

Laughing with someone over the same thing is a bond-creating event.  I'm not suggesting that it's a super duper unbreakable kind of bond.  But it is a bond nonetheless.  Perhaps it's like a web strand that connects the participants.  Many things can break it, but given enough of those shared experiences, it becomes pretty strong, at least for a season.

My brotherhood with Joel has been littered with these kinds of ties.  From childhood to adulthood, we have always striven to make each other laugh.  Each of us were successful many, many times.  Moreover, there are several connecting points that weren't merely born from one of our attempts to get the other laughing.  They came about from a neutral source unexpectedly.  Those are the best.


I was reminded last night about one of those times when Joel and I shared an inside joke at an inappropriate time and couldn't keep from laughing.  It was one of those rare occasions when the perfect conditions of a Giggle Volcano was set and ready to erupt.  I don't remember who actually verbalized what both of us were thinking, but we both imagined an unlikely and extreme scenario that struck us as funny.  Once the joke was whispered, we couldn't contain our amusement.  The fact that it was an inappropriate setting to be laughing made it worse.  We sat together, striving to stifle our laughter, but since we kept seeing each other out of the corner of our eye shake under the held-back hysterics, it just kept perpetuating.
 
There was another similar occasion when we both began to crack up during one of our grandpa's prayers, but I will let Joel share that tale if he wishes.

I love these memories of us together.  Remembering them still makes me laugh out loud.  The disrespect we might have shown to those around us no longer bothers me (I don't know if it ever did) and all that is left in my mind is the recollection of me and my brother sharing a laugh.  Those memories still make my heart light.

I am grateful to share the ties I do with Joel.  I am especially grateful for those bonds of laughter that still produce a chuckle.  Creating such bonds is one of the things that I miss by not living nearby each other.