Finding Joy in the Rhythm: Why Laughing is Good for the Soul

Inspiration
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When I joined the All Saints' Cathedral's 9:30 a.m. English service choir in 2007, I heard Imbugi Luvai, the choir organist, say he'd vote for Omar in the upcoming elections. He then said he didn't know who that Omar was while laughing.

Perhaps because I admired how Imbugi laughed that evening he cracked the Omar joke, I burst out laughing during one choir practice we had later on when I remembered something from back in the '90s.

I also laughed heartily in 2015 when a guy shot back that his was a "mulika magaidi (light up terrorists)" phone when I teased him for using a "mulika mwizi (light up a thief)" in that day and age. How I cherish a good laugh!

And laughing is good for the soul. In his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, Sean Covey said it helps us cope with the difficulties of life, and loosens up the mental gears and helps us think more creatively.

He also said it relaxes us as it lowers our heart rate and blood pressure, connects us with others and counteracts feelings of alienation—a major factor in depression and suicide—and releases endorphins, the brain's natural painkillers.

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Also check out "Fighting Darkness With Jokes".
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A Charge to Serve

A True Story
by Thuita J. Maina
on Jul 3, 2019
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Starehians, 2005.

Based in Nairobi, Starehe Boys' Centre has a stately library, a music band, a magnificent chapel, a space-age clinic, a fire-fighting squad, a swimming pool, flat playing fields, and boarding houses that nurture brotherhood.

It also has competent teachers and admits bright boys, the crème de la crème. It was an honor to make friends with such bright boys, and some teachers I met there, like Simon Libafu and Cecilia Kiprop, are now my friends on Facebook.

Perhaps more important were the opportunities I had to explore and nurture my interests. Not only did I give speeches and play the piano during evening assemblies, I also learnt to use computers in the institute division.

After attending the school for more than five years, I walked out in April 2007, after a church service during which Prof. Jesse Mugambi, the then director, charged me never to forget the great benefits I'd received there.

I was also advised to be of good courage, to hold fast that which is good, to listen for the voice of truth, to think fairly, to love widely, to support the weak, to honour all men, to love brotherhood, to build bravely, and to serve God.

And I was prayed for, that God may succour me in temptation, preserve me in danger, keep me in the knowledge of His love, prosper me in all things good, and keep me in the way that leads to eternal life.

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Also check out "Remembering Dr. Griffin".
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Bible Quote

"Always be full of joy in the Lord; I say it again, rejoice! Let everyone see that you are unselfish and considerate in all you do... Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything; tell God your needs and don't forget to thank Him for His answers. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand."

~ Phillipians 4:4-7 (TLB)

About the Author
Name: Thuita J. Maina
Marital status: Single
Lives in: Kiserian, Rift Valley, Kenya
Mission: Inspiring the world to godly living, one person at a time.

Just for Laughs

There was this drunkard called Azoge who loved drinking at Josiah's Bar. On being told a certain Hon. Nanga was flying to America to be conferred a law degree so he could be admitted to the bar, Azoge replied, "Why fly all the way to America to be admitted to the bar while you can get into Josiah's Bar any time?"

~ adapted from A Man of the People


The 7 Deadly Sins
  1. Pride
  2. Envy
  3. Gluttony
  4. Lust
  5. Anger
  6. Greed
  7. Sloth

Author's Note
I am learning to treat life as a journey, not a destination; I have therefore given up the things that weighed me down and I am now living my life to the fullest because the tomorrow I had always hoped to live my dreams may never be mine.

Fun Facts
  1. The fear of having no cell-phone service, running out of battery, or losing sight of your phone is called Nomophobia, reportedly affecting 66% of people.
  2. A single Google search needs more computing power than it took to send Apollo 11 to the moon. The Apollo computer was less equipped than a modern toaster.
  3. Besides being some of the biggest names in the tech industry, HP, Apple, Google and Microsoft have another commonality. They all started in garages.
~ from Codingforum.net

Health Tips

"So many of us take for granted the wonderful construction of the human body and the workings of its various parts. Some of us even expect it to function efficiently with less than the minimum care and attention. Learn as much as you can about your body and how the care of it can give you that greatest blessing of all—good health."

~ from Your Body (A Ladybird Book)

Wonders of the Modern World
  1. The Simplon Tunnel
  2. The Sky-scrapers of New York
  3. The Boulder Dam of Colorado
  4. The Panama Canal
  5. The Golden Gate Bridge
  6. The Taj Mahal at Agra in India
  7. The North Sea Oil Drilling Rigs

The Kind of Leaders We Need

"My life in politics was a joy. I loved campaigns and I loved governing. I always tried to keep things moving in the right direction, to give more people a chance to live their dreams, to lift people's spirits, and to bring them together. That's the way I kept score."

~ Bill Clinton

Scientific Marvels
  1. Space travel
  2. Heart surgery
  3. Fibre-optics communication
  4. Concorde
  5. Radios
  6. Computers
  7. Anesthetics

My Supreme Desire

To borrow Elbert Hubbard's words, my supreme desire is to radiate health, cheerfulness, calm courage and goodwill. I wish to live without fear, hate, guilt, worry or jealousy; to be honest, natural, confident, clean in mind and body—ready to say "I don't know" if it be so; to treat all men with kindness; and to meet any loss, failure, criticism and rejection unabashed and unafraid.



Greatest American Presidents
  1. Abraham Lincoln
  2. George Washington
  3. Thomas Jefferson
  4. Franklin Roosevelt
  5. Theodore Roosevelt
  6. Woodrow Wilson
  7. Andrew Jackson

Finding Peace in Turmoil

"Moses' rod on the ground was a frightful serpent; in his hand, it was a marvelous wand. Thus are tribulations. Considered in themselves, they are terrible; considered in the will of God, they are honors and pleasures."

~ St. Francis de Sales

Toughest Colleges to Get Into
  1. MIT
  2. Princeton
  3. Harvard
  4. Yale
  5. Stanford
  6. Brown
  7. Columbia

Why You Should Trust God

"Men and women who turn their lives over to God will find out that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities and pour out peace."

~ Ezra Taft Benson

The 7 Greatest Scientists
  1. Albert Einstein
  2. Isaac Newton
  3. Galileo Galilei
  4. Nikola Tesla
  5. Aristotle
  6. Archimedes
  7. Charles Darwin

You Matter

"Always be yourself. Never try to hide who you are. The only shame is to have shame. Always stand up for what you believe in. Always question what other people tell you. Never regret the past; it's a waste of time. There's a reason for everything. Every mistake, every moment of weakness, every terrible thing that has happened to you, grow from it. The only way you can ever get the respect of others is when you show them that you respect yourself and most importantly, do your thing and never apologize for being you."

~ Unknown

The Most Industrialized Nations
  1. United States
  2. Japan
  3. Germany
  4. France
  5. United Kingdom
  6. Italy
  7. Canada

Keys to Success

"...in his effort to withstand temptation, to economize, to exercise thrift, to disregard the superficial for the real - the shadow for the substance; to be great yet small, in his effort to be patient in the laying of a firm foundation; to so grow in skill and knowledge that he shall place his services in demand by reason of his intrinsic and superior worth. This is the key that unlocks every door of opportunity, and all others fail."

~ Booker T. Washington

The 7 Social Sins
  1. Politics without principle
  2. Wealth without work
  3. Pleasure without conscience
  4. Knowledge without character
  5. Commerce without morality
  6. Worship without sacrifice
  7. Science without humanity

Cherish What You Love
"Cherish your visions, cherish your ideals, cherish the music that stirs in your heart, the beauty that forms in your mind, the loveliness that drapes your purest thoughts - for out of them will grow all heavenly environment, of these if you but remain true to them, your world will at last be built."~ James Allen

The World's Largest Cities
  1. London in England
  2. New York in the United States
  3. Tokyo in Japan
  4. Berlin in Germany
  5. Chicago in the United States
  6. Shanghai in China
  7. Paris in France

Benefits of Optimism

"In terms of success, optimistic people out perform their pessimistic colleagues. Research shows that they are consistently promoted higher and make more money while working fewer hours than those who think pessimistically. Optimists also contribute more significantly to social progress. It is the optimists who start and run successful companies, who win elections and carry out reforms, and who make breakthroughs in the realms of science and technology."

~ Pepe Minambo

The World's Greatest Lakes
  1. Caspian Sea in the Commonwealth of Independent States, C.I.S. (formerly U.S.S.R)
  2. Lake Superior in North America
  3. Victoria Nyanza in Central Africa
  4. Aral Sea in C.I.S.
  5. Lake Huron in North America
  6. Lake Michigan in North America

Demonstrating His Love

"Take your communication for instance - the way you address others. It ought to be with loving, gracious and edifying words. Never talk people down. Never use words that hurt and demean people. Communicate excellently with others without destroying their self-image or making them feel sorry for themselves. Talk to people in a way that they never forget the excellence of your words, the love and grace of Christ that you communicated. It's how God wants us to love."

~ Dr. Chris Oyakhilome

World's Longest Rivers
  1. Missouri-Mississipi (U.S.)
  2. Amazon (Brazil)
  3. Nile (Egypt)
  4. Yangtse (China)
  5. Lena (Russia)
  6. Zaire (Central Africa)
  7. Niger (West Africa)