“At the height of laughter, the universe is flung into a kaleidoscope of new possibilities.”

— Jean Houston

Last night, we learned and laughed.

Reaching Goals Together

Dora had invited me to speak to her group Reaching Goals Together, a group of wonderful people who are meeting to help inspire each other to reach a little higher in life.

Before I spoke, we heard from Matthew Funk, PCC Mathematics Department chair, who spoke about overcoming his struggles early in life, to get his masters in mathematics so that he could lead the charge to bring better education to his students. We could identify with his struggles, and learn from his successes.

After the speeches, it was time to laugh, as we enjoyed dinner and some casual time to get to know one another. There were people not only from the United States, but from Columbia, Ecuador, Mexico, and other countries. The conversation flowed smoothly from English to Spanish and back. Throughout the evening the laughter never stopped flowing.

And I believe it was that potent mixture of laughter and learning which made for such a good time.

It’s easy to get caught up in the never-ending quest to acquire more titles, degrees, possessions, skills, and knowledge. It’s just as easy to get caught up in the perpetual search for escape from our troubles through pleasure and laughter. Alone, both are traps – equally alluring and equally addictive.

But together, laughing and learning seem to bring us something else, that I can’t quite describe. Learning brings us a brighter future, but laughter brings us a joy of now. It’s a union of the future and present.

Perhaps the power of the mixture is in the balance of living for what’s to come and living with what we have. Maybe laughter and learning are the languages of success – both today and tomorrow. Possibly it’s that laughing relaxes us and makes it easier to learn. Or, most likely, it’s that laughing and learning are both just fun.

Regardless, last night we had a good time.

We learned to laugh. And laughed to learn.

Yeserday’s gift of time … Spoke for the group Reaching Goals Together. We laughed and learned.