Shaky Laughter

I hosted an End-of-the-Year party for one of my kid’s classes.  Cocktail hour was fast approaching as the party wound down, so I opened the bar. As I carried two drinks I announced that, “I serve all cocktails shaken, not stirred.”  I laughed. No one else did. Among the few who heard me there were moans, averted glances and sips of adult beverages. I am loved.  I am grateful.

But it’s okay to laugh. Really. I do.

I’m not dumb. I know what “neurodegenerative” means. Trust me, people, I’ve read up on this topic quite a bit (likely more than any of you) since my diagnosis in November 2015. But today it’s good. Today, it’s just a tremor. So let’s laugh. Laughs of fear, rage, wonderment. Let’s make that joyful noise.  Together. I don’t know what tomorrow will hold. It could be a miraculous cure. It could be a sharp, southward plunge. I don’t know.

So today, I choose to laugh.

I choose laughter – and the celebration of this moment on earth that laughter embodies.  I choose to reach out into this moment and make a joyful noise. Laugh with me. Laugh at me. Ask for your drinks shaken not stirred. Join me and let’s make a joyful noise. Together. Today. Let us affirm the blessing that the intersection of our lives is –  with a laugh. Now. For we know not what tomorrow will bring. For any of us.