The Laughing Chicken

What does a laughing chicken have to do with anything? Well, my mother didn't teach me how to cook, but she did teach me how to laugh. When I was growing up we had a rubber chicken hanging in the kitchen, and I still keep one in my kitchen today. It is a reminder to look for the humor and fun in everyday living.

Proverbs 15 contains some wisdom for everyday living, and one of my favorite verses. "For the despondent, every day brings trouble; for the happy heart, life is a continual feast." (NLT) A continual feast! I like the way that sounds. And this just seems to say that "it's all in the attitude." If you look for the fun in life you will find it. Life is going to have both good times and bad, but one thing that will help get you through both is a sense of humor. One way to translate this verse might be: "If you have the right attitude, life is one big buffet!"

Not everything we feast on in this "buffet of life" is calorie-laden. Friendships, family, love, beauty, a smile, laughter, forgiving and being forgiven, a job well done, a good chocolate sundae...oh, wait...all of these things are part of the continual feast.

I am thankful that as I was growing up, the laughing chicken was there. The sense of humor that developed in my childhood has made the difficult times in life a little easier to get through. Today my laughing chicken sits on my refrigerator, and plays an occasional bit part in a skit at church. Even when I can't see the chicken, that "laughing chicken attitude" is still there, giving me a happy heart. And making life, both the good and the bad, into a continual feast.