January 27, 2026

Over my Christmas break, I noticed something that was music to my soul: spontaneous and brief bursts of belly laughter coming from MY mouth at the most random moments.

I would laugh at a television character who was just being quirky or weird.

I would laugh at myself acting as though something was important that was not.

I would laugh (and yes, this is my newest surprise obsession) at my new-to-me Snoopy face on my Apple Watch. This one has been particularly yummy and wholesome as I flip my wrist over and over just to see him spin pizza dough over his head and get it hung up on the minute hand.

It’s bizarre and entirely delightful.

I remember moments when life was so heavy, spontaneous laughter was not a remote possibility. In fact, mining a mere “surface smile” was impossible.

Some moments came when life became so complex that I didn’t know if I could help family members I cared for deeply. Others came when I was in the deep end of hypervigilance with PTSD.

When the nervous system is overwhelmed, it may mute both highs and lows—not to deprive us, but to create a sense of stability.

But that’s a narrow slice of the full range of this wild ride we call life.