Uncontrollable Laughter Part I

 Choosing one time of breaking out into uncontrollable laughter might be one of the most challenging prompts I have had to face. I laugh a lot. Even if something is not funny, but extremely awkward, I will still produce a giggle to loosen tension. I can always find a reason to laugh even on my worst days, but to write two pages on a time of uncontrollable laughter requires a special occasion. As I struggle to think of the perfect moment, I cannot help but read the posters on my roommate’s wall. Summer, my roommate, loves sayings and has at least twenty of them taped up. Even though I have never particularly payed much attention to them, for some reason one by an anonymous author sticks out to me today. It reads, “But the most beautiful things in life are not just things. They’re people, and places, and memories and pictures. They’re feelings and moments and smiles and laughter.” I sit and think and the moment where laughter opened my eyes to the beauty of life finally came to me.

             
This summer I set out on a trip through Eastern Europe that ended up being an adventure of a lifetime. I knew no one in my group and I had no idea to expect, but I left with enough memories to last a lifetime. Throughout the four weeks of exhausting but rewarding travel, the group began to become more like a family unit rather than just fourteen travelers. Even though the entire trip was filled with laughter because we had quite a few comedians with us, there was one specific moment of uncontrollable laughter that was deep and genuine. It happened our last week in Prague when we all started to realize that our time together in this magical place was coming to a close. We all went to a light show where people use light to tell a story. Although the experience sounded cool on our itinerary, the light show ended up being unbelievably terrible. For almost two hours we sat through people making awkward jokes, actors making obvious mistakes with the lights, and two funky comedians messing with our one and only Dan Williams. By the time the curtains closed, our group was about running for the doors to get out of the theater only to be confronted with a torrential downpour of rain. Seven of us got separated from the rest of the group, but as we looked back to see the mass of people coming out we knew our only choice would be to book it back to the hotel which happened to be quite a ways away.

The seven of us took with little sense of direction. We eventually stopped under a building and all took a moment to look at each other. With our shoes absolutely soaked and hair drenched all we could do was laugh. We laughed so hard that eventually the rain on our cheeks turned into tears. We gathered ourselves together to find the nearest subway and continued to run and slip on the slippery cobblestone of the Prague streets. Some local Czechs also joined in with us as we began to purposefully slide around on the streets as if it was a game. All of my surroundings seemed cinematic. Once we finally made it to the subway and were undercover we all looked at our drenched clothes and laughed again. No one had to say a word. At that moment all of us realized where we were, the people we were with, the memories we made, and rejoiced in laughter. I could never have pictured myself with these people in this place and I am sure they felt the same. As we waited for our train we danced underground and continued to laugh as the locals stared at us crazy Americans. We knew that even though this trip would come to an end in just a few days, we would take these beautiful moments with us and hold them close as we went back to our normal TCU lives. A sad end became a thrilling beginning. It was laughing with people that meant so much to me that opened my eyes to how important a little adventure in life can be.