Daily Meditation for November 18, 2022

Today, November 18, is the birthday of Mickey Mouse! Walt Disney created Mickey in 1928 to represent all that Disney wanted to promote: joy, fun, strong family unity, and much laughter. The Biblical Psalms encourage us to make joyful noise. Joy has also been named as one of the fruits of the Spirit. We often hear that laughter is the best medicine. A good, hearty laugh can relieve tension and boost the immune system and can even relieve chronic pain. Studies show that the average adult laughs only 17 times a day while a child laughs at least 300 times a day! Though we tend to become more serious as we grow older and lose our ability to laugh, perhaps we need to follow the example of children and make more room in our lives for laughter. Today, let us remember that “a day without laughter is a day wasted” (Charlie Chaplin and a few other people!).

By Mary Weidner, OSB