I often wonder why I wake up so happy, ready to start the day. When I
was younger I'd whack the alarm clock, for the fourth time, grumble
out of bed and stomp around with a major sour puss. Now I'm up before
the alarm clock most mornings, and I don't grumble, not as often as I
used to anyway. I'm often anxious to see what the day will bring.
I think I've stumbled upon the reason for my early rise and my cheery
outlook. My wife. Yes, she brightens up my days and has given me
tremendous motivation, though she still sleeps later than I do, and
she tends to grumble, though not too badly.
There's another reason, and this also involves my wife. I believe that
laughter is the best medicine, and she makes me laugh. More so, I
think a happy attitude is contagious, and the reason I wake up happy
might be this: my wife laughs in her sleep.
I kid you not. She laughs out loud. So loud that I'm frequently
awakened by her nocturnal guffaws. Sometimes it begins as a chuckle,
but many times the laughter just erupts, like she just saw the
funniest thing in the world. How can I help but be amused and feel
happy myself when I'm treated to this many nights out of a week.
There's more... while still asleep, she tells me what she was laughing
about. Here's are the most recent accounts...
One night she rolls over and begins her laughing. I wake up, and wait
for her to settle down. Then I ask "What's so funny?"
I wasn't expecting a response, but to my surprise she answered me
while still sound asleep. She said "Mrs. Juniper said the juniper
wouldn't grow much taller than two feet, but she planted it and the
damn thing took off, and it's still growing! Ha ha ha ha...." Then she
began to snore again.
I shook my head, rolled over and settled in for the remainder of the
night, knowing that we'd both get a kick out the story when I recalled
it the