My husband slipped his shoes off the other evening, and I noticed his socks. They were both white, but one had grey toes and the other didn’t. I helped him put them on that morning, how did we manage to pick mismatched socks? I asked him to look at his feet and we both burst into laughter. It was one of those silly moments, those “how on earth did we do that?” times that bring joy to our life. We got round two of laughter when he pulled another pair of socks just like them from his drawer the next morning. And no, he didn’t wear the mixed pair that day.

Some mistakes are good to learn from, some are hazardous, and some are just funny. I like the last category since our lives are so serious so much of the time that when we can find a chance to chuckle it is wonderful. I don’t mind that we are making fun of something I did because the value of laughter is so great. There are few things I can do in life that bring the same release and relief as a good belly laugh. The act of laughing strengthens my lungs, increases oxygen and blood flow to all parts of my body and improves my mood. It’s even better when I can share this with my husband.

In another mindset I might have gotten upset about the sock mix-up or even been embarrassed. Today I am just thankful that I can still find things to laugh about. Joy is not always a part of our journey with PD, isn’t it great that every once in a while, thanks to a pair of socks, it can be?