"This I Believe"

Disclaimer: This will be a lengthy blog. Yet I hope you'll find it inspiring enough to contemplate your own "This I Believe" essay.

I've been reading the book "This I Believe". It's a compilation of short essays by many famous and non-famous men and women each describing a personal, passionate belief. In the back a challenge to the reader is presented. Below you'll find that challenge and my response. I highly recommend reading the book and writing your own essay.

How to Write Your Own This I Believe Essay

We invite you to contribute to this project by writing and submitting your own statement of personal belief. We understand

how challenging this is—it requires intense self-examination, and many find it difficult to begin. To guide you through this process, we offer these suggestions:

Tell a story: Be specific. Take your belief out of the ether and ground it in the events of your life. Your story need not be heart-warming or gut-wrenching—it can even be funny—but it should be real. Consider moments when your belief was formed, tested, or changed. Make sure your story ties to the essence of your daily life philosophy and to the shaping of your beliefs.

Be brief: Your statement should be between 350 and 500 words. The shorter length forces you to focus on the belief that is central to your life.

Name your belief: If you can’t name it in a sentence or two, your essay might not be about belief. Rather than writing a list, consider focusing on one core belief.

Be positive: Say what you do believe, not what you don’t believe. Avoid statements of religious dogma, preaching, or editorializing.

Be personal: Make your essay about you; speak in the first person. Try reading your essay aloud to yourself several times, and each time edit it and simplify it until you find the words, tone, and story that truly echo your belief and the way you speak.

The Gift of Laughter

Maggie Robinson

I BELIEVE THAT THE GREATEST GIFT WE ARE GIVEN IS THAT OF LAUGHTER.

I am by no means the family comedian or class clown. But I have quite a laugh. In elementary school, during a period of bullying I endured, girls ridiculed me saying my laugh was fake. I’ve always had an accompanying snort to my laugh; when something is so funny my nose envy’s my mouth’s pleasure and joins in. And then there is my singular, but incredibly animated “HA!” which my mother-in-law now thoroughly enjoys. Lastly, there’s my out of breath, evil-dog-like-wheezing-laugh (think Muttley from the cartoon, Wacky Races) that works my abs like no other and brings tears to my eyes. All of these…real.

In fact, it is laughter that I find to be a most sincere and identifiable auditory characteristic in people. Take my father for instance. He was an Irish man with a great talent for story telling and in particular, joke delivery. Every holiday and gathering of family and friends, he filled the atmosphere with his large, contagious laugh…It was a hands on his belly, curly white Bob Ross hair style pointed to the floor, nose in the air, tears rolling down his face, deep Santa Clause laugh. When I miss him the most, I close my eyes and hear his laughter, and my heart is warmed with his presence.

I also believe that laughter can heal. When I was a teenager, my grandmother moved in with us. She had a number of health complications that eventually led to her partial paralysis, dementia, and dependence on our family to care for her fully. But in the midst of her pain and confusion, her humor never faded. We would watch videos of Carol Burnett or Johnny Carson shows together on repeat…with each joke her face would brighten with all the smile she could muster (even if it was only the left side of her face). She would even crack herself up while attempting her physical therapy training or when a bite of a meal slipped off her fork right before reaching her mouth. I believe she was actually happy during those tough years, thanks to her sense of humor. We are still so thankful for the many years it kept her with us.

Here’s an exercise. Picture an old friend from school, or a dear aunt you only see once a year. Close your eyes. Focus on hearing their laughter. I can almost guarantee you are now smiling and engaging more of your senses in both visualizing and hearing that person you were or are close to. Once I started doing this I almost couldn’t stop! I went to college 1,500 miles from my hometown and can now vividly recall all of my close friends whenever I want to…this in turn brings on distinct memories of our time together, forever retained in laughter.

As I type this, I am having a very early breakfast with my husband and in-laws, and we are starting the day off with a good laugh. Momentarily, I have forgotten the pain from spraining my ankle yesterday and the stress of waiting for a job interview. Somehow I know, that not matter what the day holds, as long as I have a good laugh with people I love and even strangers, things will be OK. Laughter is the gift of love, comradery, unity, health, happiness, and comfort.