Finding the child within you

SEMINOLE -- Laughter is a good prescription for what ails you.

Karen Dahmer, community liaison for the Hospice of the Florida Suncoast, wasn't denying the need for medicine, but she believes in humor as a balm.

Dahmer, a nurse for 30 years, was a guest speaker Thursday at the Fitness Over 50 Day at the Seminole Recreation Center.

"People ask me how I could work at a serious place like Hospice and talk about humor and laughter," Dahmer, of Seminole, told the audience of about 50 people. "But even when people are faced with a life-threatening illness, they can still have a sense of humor. It's like looking at a glass as half-full or half-empty. You have the power to control whether you are positive or negative."

To warm up the crowd, Dahmer instructed the audience to engage in "a sincere, belly-shaking laugh for 30 seconds.

"Did you know," she asked, "that the average 4-year-old laughs about 400 times a day, while an adult only laughs about 15 times a day? We need to get a hold of the child within us."

Then, she posed a question: "What is the first thing the dental hygienist asks you when you go to get your teeth cleaned? It's 'How many times do you floss?' I like to lie and say five times a day, but she knows better."

Dahmer started pulling on a long string on her head, making it appear as if the string was coming through her ears. "Just as the dental floss is good for the teeth, mirthful laughter is good for your brain and your whole system."

There are some definite benefits to laughing often, Dahmer said. "If you felt warm all over, you increased your circulation. That's a good thing.

"Laughter is also a great stress-reducer and if you laugh hard enough and long enough, endorphins are released . . . which give you a sense of euphoria."

Dahmer said people are too serious.

"We kind of forget how to laugh. Do you know what I call the sourpusses of the world? People who lack humor skills," she said.

Another barrier to laughter "is the fear of looking foolish," Dahmer added.

She told the audience that the most stressful part of her job "is driving in Pinellas County." To relieve that stress, she said she always carries the clown nose and the big sunglasses in her purse. "Don't try this when you are actually driving," she warned, "but when I'm waiting in traffic, I put on the clown nose or the glasses and start waving at people in other cars. You'd be surprised how many giggle and wave back."

At the end of her talk, Dahmer asked people if they wanted some low-fat brownies for dessert. She gave one to Virginia Abbenante, 81, of Seminole. It turned out to be a brown, felt "E."

"Her talk was fun," Abbenante said. "I'm a laughing person myself. People need more laughter, especially at my age when we're all losing things. You can't always get upset."

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