Laughing Together: Lessons from Book Club

Last week, the In-Person Book Club met at Starbucks. We’ve been reading short stories from What Do You Want on Your Pancakes? In one of the stories, the main character was going through a difficult time but found someone who made her laugh in the middle of it all.

At the end of each story, there are discussion questions. One of them was: How many times a week do you laugh? Almost everyone answered, “At least once a day.” Then, out of nowhere, everyone in the group started scrunching up their faces and hissing like a cat—apparently an inside joke. We all burst out laughing!

We agreed that laughter is wonderful, but maybe not everywhere. We decided you probably don’t want to laugh in the middle of school, church, or work. And even at Book Club, you shouldn’t laugh so loudly that you disrupt other customers at Starbucks.

After leaving Book Club, I kept thinking about how laughter instantly makes you feel better. Out of curiosity, I looked up the health benefits—and sure enough, I didn’t have to look far. Laughter reduces stress, improves blood flow, and can even help reduce pain.

When you laugh together, you build connections. At Fun Programs By Stacy, I strive to create moments that spark joy, build friendships, and encourage plenty of smiles.

I’m lucky—my husband, three boys, and two dogs keep me laughing every day. Lately, our family group chat has been filled with talking dog videos from Instagram. My son Danny, who is very “techy,” even made his own featuring our dogs, Daisy and Spot.

Please enjoy—and keep laughing!