Several years ago a friend of mine took me to see a meditation guru from India speak at a local auditorium. At the close of the event, the master was taking questions from the audience. One person asked, “What is the best form of meditation when you’re feeling upset?” The guru sat and ruminated for about a minute with a smile spreading across his face, then said, “There is no best way to meditate. If one is stuck in rush hour traffic on the Hollywood Freeway and fully embraces the experience in a pure state of awareness and acceptance, that is meditation.”

And so it is with humor. We need not change, alter or avoid an experience to find the humor in it. Instead of resisting it, humor can embrace the experience as it is, the way it is, from another perspective and allows us to move through it more fluidly.

Think of people you know who have a strong sense of self-esteem. Do they also have a well-developed sense of humor? I would bet the house that they do. They may not dye their hair a primary color and cart-wheel down an aisle in a public library wearing a clown suit, but they have a certain perspective that keeps them loose and limber.

People suffering from chronic seriousness can become brittle when faced with obstacles, which undermines their self-esteem. With a strong humorous perspective were not as fazed by such obstacles. We can tackle our challenges diligently and lucidly, yet take ourselves lightly.

For stronger dosage of humor, go here.