| Many U.S. presidents have understood that humor and laughter were stress relievers and mood elevators unavailable in any pharmacy.
In a 1786 letter to a friend and former comrade from the Continental Army, even the reserved George Washington applauded the comrade’s witty account of a stay with a mutual acquaintance: “I commend you, however, for passing the time in as merry a manner as you possibly could; it is assuredly better to go laughing than crying thro’ the rough journey of life.”
If we pay a visit to the Oval Office, we just might garner a few tips on the value of humor in times of tension, as well as in everyday life. If nothing else, we’ll leave laughing.
Not without reason was Ronald Reagan known as “The Great Communicator.” He often deployed stories to amuse his audience and to make a point. His one about Cuban leader Fidel Castro did both:
“It is said that Castro was making a speech to a large assembly. And he was going on at great length and then a voice out in the crowd said, ‘Peanuts, popcorn, crackerjacks.’
“And he went on speaking and again the voice said, ‘Peanuts, popcorn, crackerjacks.’ ... And about the fourth time this happened, he stopped in his regular speech and he said, ‘The next time,’ he said, ‘I’m going to find out who that is and kick him all the way to Miami.’ And everybody in the crowd said, ‘Peanuts, popcorn, crackerjacks.’”
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