Last night I went browsing for a quote for today’s blog post. Searched my quote books. Searched my files. Searched online. Searched my Evernote Quote notebook. I skimmed all sorts of quotes. It wasn’t that I didn’t have a lot of quotes to choose from, it was just none of them were “pinging.”
And then I found these words by Victor Borge and I stopped all the skimming and mulling.
“Laughter is the closest distance between two people.”
How true is that? Isn’t it wonderful how laughter can break down the walls of uncomfortableness and silence created by “I don’t know you” and help strangers become friends? When my husband and I are in the middle of a (ahem!) “discussion,” if we can find a reason to laugh, the distance between us created by the whole insistence of who’s right and who’s wrong disappears. We can laugh together — not at one another — and find common ground again.
I thought it’d be fun to share just a bit of Victor Borge’s sense of humor with you all today. He had his own distinctive way of closing the distance between people. Enjoy!
In Your Words: How has laughter helped bridge the distance between you and someone else? Who’s your go-to comedian?
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Comments 7
It’s a good quote, but doesn’t really work for me.
Combat is the closest distance between two people, and sometimes you can be closer to an enemy combatant than to a civilian ally.
Bridges are built of steel, but bonds are seasoned in blood.
Author
Andrew,
I will not argue with you. I also don’t think the one truth cancels out the other. I’ve seen laughter draw strangers together … and tears, too. I’ve never been in combat, but I know the bonds you forge with your fellow soldiers are like none other.
Beth, not being able to really connect through laughter is a failing on my part. It’s one of the things Barb really doesn’t like, that I rarely smile and nearly never laugh. I learned too early to be impassive.
It doesn’t bespeak a lack of humour; I suppose I could play an excellent straight man to a comedian.
When one of my sons is in “a mood” if I can bring them/us to a place of laughter, things have a way of working themselves out. When an angry/hurting heart is lifted by the gift of laughter, perspectives change for the good.
Author
There is something healing about laughter. There is something about laughter that makes another person approachable. Safe.
I watched the video and then hopped over to Youtube for another 30 minutes of laughter watching more of Victor Borge’s comedy. Bryan, sitting beside me, laughed until he teared up. Thanks for reminding me that laughter truly is good medicine.
Author
Pat: So glad you enjoyed the video — and then some additional time with Victor Borge. He’s one of a kind, yes? I laughed out loud while I watched the clip I shared in the blog, and Rob did, too.