Laughter.

Today I watched a video about Aly Hilfiger and her journey with Lyme. (P.s. if you haven't watched it yet, you need to. Stop what you are doing right now and go watch it. Yes, I'm saying her video is more important than my blog. I mean, come back here afterwards, but go listen to her first. Do it. Her mission to spread awareness is everything.) And she talked about the importance of laughing in between the tough times, which I fully believe in. I absolutely, 100% believe in the power of laughter.

So, before we go any further, I'm going to tell you my favorite joke. Ready?

What do you call an old snowman?

...water!

You're welcome. My mom was a first grade teacher for a bajillion years. I've got all the good jokes.

Do you need another one?

What do you call a bear with no teeth?

...a gummy bear!

Okay, now that we've established that I'm hilarious, we can move on.

You know what some people don't get about laughing through the pain? Just that. That it is possible to laugh while you're still in pain. It's possible to laugh while you're struggling. It's possible to be happy when your world is less that perfect. It's possible to smile when everything around you is chaotic. And, more Lyme specifically, it's possible to keep laughing even when your body, your brain, your everything is being eaten alive. Just being you're laughing doesn't mean your battle is any less real.

People on the outside don't always get that, and sadly, people on the inside don't always get that either. Some people who are sick aren't able to look past the negative and realize that just because you're sick doesn't mean you can't make the conscious effort to keep laughing. You don't have to keep a frown on your face to validate your pain. You don't have to keep your head down to make your struggle seem more real.

Laugh. Just laugh. You're going to do enough crying throughout your days. Laughing is always the best medicine.