Land of Abundant Laughter

I slept and dreamt that I was walking in a park. A park full of swings, see-saws, slides and monkey bars. Walking down the pebble pathway forming the circumference of that park, I saw little children running around in the field.

Some were flying kites with their parents. Their parents ran ahead of their kids running behind, laughing as they try to jump and catch the kite that is soaring higher and higher as it achieves its height. Slowly as the kite starts to catch the wind, it glides in the skies beneath the clouds. Their parents handed the string handle to their little children. Grinning and beaming with glee, they tried to started to run around hoping that the kite would follow them wherever they go, under the careful surveillance of their loving parents. The father held the mother by the shoulder, and leaning unto each other they smiled upon seeing the joy of their children.

Some children were playing hide and seek with each other. A group of 8 kids gathered and formed a circle, discussing who should be the ones hiding and who should be the one that seeks the rest. After a brief discussion, one kid ran to a nearby tree, covered her face and pressing unto a tree and started counting to ten. The other kids scrambled to find a good hiding spot. Some hide in the bushes, some climbed unto short branches, some underneath the picnic tables. From a distance I could hear them stifling their own giggling as they tried to remain as quiet as possible while the other kid ran around looking for them. In less then 5 minutes all of them would be out of their hiding place running around in circles trying to both run and catch each other. They'd shriek as the 'hunter' tapped them on their shoulders, signalling that they are now 'dead'.

Some children were just playing with the swings. 2 little girls were sitting on the swing side by side with each other. Chatting initially as they swing slowly, they decided to head for the skies. Then they started to move their legs in a front and backward movement rhythmic to the swing. Everytime their swing stopped at its highest point they'd exert more force downwards hoping that the swing would swing even higher the next round. And it did. The feeling of the wind brushing through their long hair must have exhilarated them. Yelling out loud, regardless of the people around them or the stares of other children who envied them, they evidently were enjoying themselves on the swings.

On the bench were an elderly couple. Wiping their sweat with a towel drapped over their neck, they were breathing deeply after a long jog. Sitting side by side to each other, they started talking about their lovely past, their haydays back when they were teenagers, their fiery romance when they were much younger, their honeymoon and their children. They talked about how the society is changing, how the generation that is yet to come will live in a futuristic and modern world, how the little children will live to embrace a world that lurks with terror and fear. Their talk was all about their past and the world today, yet through it all there was this little smile carved on their face. A smile that kept so much memories of the time that they spent together. Pecking each other on the nose romantically, I couldn't resist letting out a sigh in contentment upon witnessing such faithfulness in that lasting romance.

So much laughter, so much joy. The magic of laughter and joy is that it is capable of immediately dissolving any form of physical, emotional and psychological tension among people or in a situation.

In times of sadness, laughter is the turning point.
In moments of tears, a companion is both the shoulder and the tissue.
In a world of darkness, faithfulness and truthfulness is the light.
In despair, a pair of listening ears illuminates your vision, showing you the door beside your dead end.

I woke up realising that the fruits of laughter is sweetest when originating from the fertile soil of companionship. True companionship generates laughter and joy. True companionship is all about faithfulness. True companionship is all about love. True companionship is all about sharing and caring. True companionship is all about looking out for your friends sad day, catching him when he tries to run away with his problem and pull him out of his teary situation.

The land of abundant laughter, at the end of the day, is our hearts, where we first choose to be a companion to others and be faithful to them. That time, will we realise, that our heart will be the one place that will be always full of joy in times of sadness, and abundance of peace that the world cannot give us.