Elmo: A lesson in laughter

G’day. I hope you have someone in your life as precious as Elmo. He was brought up during the Depression, got a scholarship to Teachers College, taught outback for years, then became school principal – one of those principals who knew every kid and spent his time in the classroom helping kids who were struggling with reading.

In addition, Elmo was the greatest grower of home vegies ever, brewed his own beer, made the best apple jelly ever and each month, for car boot sales, provided Lions Club with a boot full of home grown plants for their coffers.

Elmo was so wise – if he said when you retire, don’t move away from your forwards, then that’s what I did – stay where you know, with people you know and where you have the services you want. Elmo also had the greatest sense of humour – no matter what his pain or problem, he would find a way to laugh. In fact Elmo taught me a lot about the power of laughter and I started to analyze the role of laughter in our lives.

A few years ago, Arthur Stone, Professor of Psycho-neurology at the University of New York, identified a group of life enhancing chemicals including the antibody, immunoglobin A, that are triggered when we laugh.

This antibody is found in the mucus which lines the nose and it helps fight all sorts of illnesses and diseases by identifying bacteria, viruses and even potential tumour cells. According to Dr Peter Spitzer, founder of Australia’s Humour Foundation, laughing for just 10 minutes will achieve the following

* drive carbon dioxide out of the body and replace it with refreshing oxygen

* produce anti-inflammatory agents that fight back pain and arthritis

* encourage the muscles to relax

* reduce levels of serum cortisol, the stress hormone

* boost your immune system responses

* boost the production of feel-good endorphins.

We’re programmed to laugh away our woes; if you don’t believe me, think of the worst problem you’re facing, then turn the corners of your mouth up into a grin and then feel the difference.

But back to Elmo, and I assure you he wouldn’t have minded the diversion, anyhow he had one big weakness, his age – and unfortunately with age came dementia – his golf mates and I would visit him in the dementia ward regularly and even though eventually he forgot how to dress and even who we were, he was so loved by doctors and staff because he could always laugh.

Finally it took its terminal toll and the last time I visited him before he died, he was not able to talk intelligibly and couldn’t even hold his cup to drink his juice, nor did he know who I was.

But as I handed him his cup, he held it aloft, a grin came on his face and he mumbled “ladies and gentlemen…” as if he was proposing a toast.

Elmo you were very much my humble hero and I raise my glass to you!