I don’t know if it’s a “normal” part of growing older, but these days, I laugh til I cry.
Must have been only a quick laugh, because there are no tears on my face …
Every. Single. Time.
I never used to be like this. Sure, sometimes I would laugh til I cried – but only after a rather sustained bout of laughter.
Now however, any time I’m having a good belly laugh, the tears start instantly.
And when I say “start”, I mean “pour”. We’re not talking about just a tiny tear or two; oh no, nothing as discreet as that. For some bizarre reason, laughing seems to trigger my tear ducts (probably a hundred times more than when I am sad) – and my face is quickly flooded with moisture.
From a relatively ordinary, sane looking woman, within seconds I transform into a wet, snotty, mess.
I’m aware of my primary triggers – looking at funny memes on Pinterest, and consuming alcohol (even just a sip or two – my tolerance for the stuff is extremely low!), are almost certain to result in my transformation to this attractive state.
Not sure where this pic is from sorry – I saved it onto my PC ages ago, just had to share it here as it seemed so appropriate 🙂
Despite the messy side of the fact that I laugh til I cry, I’m not going to let that stop me from enjoying life. I fully intend to keep on laughing – I’m just going to make sure that I pack tissues or a hanky in my handbag, so I’m always prepared for the inevitable waterworks!
Annoying as this little affliction might be, it seems I’m right on trend – because the Oxford Dictionary’s word of 2015, was the emoji which showed a laughing face with tears.
Pic from a recent issue of Who magazine
Not surprisingly, the announcement stirred up a heap of controversy, because hello, an emoji is a picture, not a word!
Perhaps I should start using it as my profile pic on social media?!
I can’t help but wonder though – is crying every time you laugh, a normal part of middle age?! Does anybody else do it? Or is it just me?!