Enjoy funny moments in life.

Hi Everyone! Are you enjoying my travel posts? I’m so glad, as I love travelling. Even while travelling or when going through any time in life, I believe in enjoying the humorous side. By the way, a specialist says that you need to laugh twenty three times a day. So, let us do it.

In the past:

I’ve watched my father laugh during the grimmest of situations, returning from his fighting at the fronts in 1965 and 1971, he would find some funny things to share with us. We all know what war is, especially for an infantry officer, yet, he always put it lightly for us.

So it runs in the blood.

I’ve seen my mother, calm and at peace in the most horrific of times, (when we were homeless and living with my precious Chacha Taj and Phupi Razia during 1971 war.) My mother took to embroidery, and made some very beautiful linen for me. I’ve still got these pieces of her embroidery. One fine blog post, I’ll share with you too. I was studying in school at that time, and my cousin Azra and I would try to cheer up our elders by saying silly things to make them laugh. I would act out some funny Urdu poetry, which we had written. We would have everyone in stitches.

Benefits of laughter:

Yes, we have had our own fair share of ‘grim times.’ But one sails through them, when you know how to through these. Here are the benefits:

Brings your spirits high, by making you realize that life can be fun too.
It good for healthy, keeps your blood pressure normal, and makes you feel better.
Laughter can make you feel stronger.
If anyone doesn’t like you, it makes them feel uneasy!
Some things really need to be ‘laughed off’.

During last ten years or so:

Whenever things got unbearable, my youngest daughter Waliya and I would be talking in a funny voice with each other. Try it, you can’t help but burst out laughing. The formula is: Be funny and laugh together! Here we are with my funny hair, and Nadiya having her favorite papers.

After all, you feel free to cry at all that melodrama, why not laugh too?

A late night adventure on a lonely road:

When my husband was dying of cancer in hospital, my daughters and I would spend the most horrific days in hospital. Fighting tooth and nail over the most ridiculous things with his siblings and the trouble they would create on a daily basis . Those were days full of tension, suspense and horror. We would gratefully get to my parents’ place, and then be served with a delicious wholesome meal. (It would be our only proper meal of the day!)

One night as we were driving home at 10.30 pm, after another grueling day, suddenly, I got a flat tire! We just burst out laughing . I mean, that is all we needed to make that horrific day complete, where we had faced horror after horror. It was an empty road, and here I was with my young daughters in the car at this time. We were at the point beyond fear, so we waited under that street light, trying to think straight.

It was too late for my mechanic to help me in this far off spot, where we were stuck all alone. I couldn’t ask my elderly parents to help. Suddenly I remembered, that my friend Fakhra Husain was nearby, so I called her, she immediately said, ‘I’ll send my son.’

When Saad arrived, we narrated all that had happened, between fits of laughter. I’m sure he must have thought we had gone nuts.

After all, it is a nutty world we are living in…

God bless my friend’s soul (she is in heaven now, ) and Saad. We were finally on the road to get home.

Fits of laughter:

So, I’m really bad at this, I just cannot stop myself from bursting out laughing, if I find something funny. Try it. It feels great. Even though sometimes you have to get up and make a stupid excuse to get out of the room real fast! Such things often happen during serious office and staff meetings.

Like I remember, Nataliya telling me that during a lecture in FAST, a professors’ lock of hair would rise up funnily every time the AC’s draft of air fell on him. So the whole class was watching it, and listening to lecture, while this was happening, making them smile.

I’m the limit in this. I just cannot contain myself when I get into a fit of laughter. I just think that these are little gems of happiness that Allah gifts us with when we are going through difficult times. Or not difficult times too.

The problem with many funny things is that you can’t share with everyone. Why? – Because it is embarrassing, for one or other person in your life, or even your own self. So, I’m not sharing much here.

Mimicry fun:

In our family, Nadiya is the master of this. In college we would wait anxiously for her arrival, and her performance during and after dinner. She would re-enact the professors, lecturers and students. We knew them.

It was the same with Waliya. She would tell me all about them so well, that when I’d finally go to college, I’d be able to instantly recognize those professors easily.

Naturally, they act out funny incidents in our lives too. I’m the biggest butt of their jokes. One of them will act out something that happened in a serious situation earlier, and then we all laugh our heads off. Usually, this happens during our ‘family time’ at end of the day.

In fact, I remember, we were in Seattle, and spoke to Nadiya in UK. She had us laughing hysterically by her funny antics. So, my dears, it is possible on group video chats too.

Practical jokes:

Nadiya and Haaris played this joke on me; They didn’t tell me when the baby got born. I was waiting at home. Haaris sent me a text, that we need to change duties, so he is coming to pick me up, so he can rest. He had been with her since the night before. So, as we went to the delivery room, myself expecting to see Nadiya in full bloom and I see this cute little baby next to her!!! On top of it all, she was ready with her camera to catch the moment!

I mean, who plays a joke on her Mom at such a time? – my daughter, of course!

Naturally I was thrilled. At least it was over.

Haaris had been such a good actor throughout, never letting me have any idea. He is a practical joker himself, and keeps playing jokes on me.

So, right now, I’m here in Halifax, Nove Scotia. My daughter Nadiya has had a cute baby girl. We arrived home after spending three days in hospital. I looked round at each of us, we looked so funny. Our hair hadn’t been properly combed, our clothes worn casually.( My pant had been worn for three consecutive days and nights!) – Yes, I forgot to take my pjs.) Thank goodness I had taken three changes of shirts. Most of us hadn’t had a shower for as many days. We looked disheveled, scruffy and exhausted. We returned to the usually immaculate apartment, which was almost upside down. I just couldn’t stop laughing at us. This little five pounder, had come and created beautiful havoc in our lives.

Of course, we loved every minute of it.

Love to do shararat too:

Frankly, I love humor and want it as much as possible in our lives.

I don’t blame Haaris, as when my daughter and he were newly engaged. I prepared a nice floral setting with cards for Valantine’s Day, and offered him a pack of Ferraro Rochers’ chocolates, which were stuffed with tissues, as I had already eaten them up! He couldn’t believe his MIL would play such a joke on him! 😉

Use laughter to bond:

Laughing together is the most bonding feature in all relationships. Did you know that? I’ve tried it in class rooms as a teacher. I’d first make their moods right, then start teaching. So, in any capacity laughter can be used to ‘break the ice’ – this is why most workshops are begun with an ‘ice-breaking activity’.

Points of laughter matters:

Never do it by hurting anyone.
Remember, sarcasm isn’t humor.
Make sure the person you are having fun with, is in with it. Or in the right mood.
You laugh with someone, not at someone!
Also, if someone falls, it isn’t funny, because someone has got hurt in the process.

You don’t have to be the picture of doom and gloom all the time. Take a break, and laugh out loud at the most ridiculous thing going on right now. So, thank Him, who has kept your sanity even when things are going quite insane.