Laughter vital to good health

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Joe Courterielle has an amazing story to tell. The man from Alexander First Nation shared the details of his life at the National First Nations Child and Family Services Conference held in Edmonton May 26 to 29.

The conference was hosted by Yellowhead Tribal Services Agency. Delegates came from across Canada and were presented with workshops, including those on traditional parenting, independent living, effective srategies for working with youth and groups, stress management and preventing abuse in foster care.

Courterielle told the delegates his mother died when he was three years old. His grandparents raised him. He went to a residential school in St. Albert and started working at the age of 16.

"So I worked all my life...I kept drinking more and more...some of the Elders...saw where I was going...they started talking to me, 'Joe, you should stop.' But I didn't listen. I never listened."

In April 1968, Courterielle lost his sight as a result of alcoholism. Two years later he went to an Alcoholics Anonymous program, but he said it didn't help him stop. It wasn't until 1979 that he came to the conclusion his drinking must stop.

"Poor me, poor Joe-once I let that go, my life started to change for better."

Courterielle has never been married and has no children of his own. But he interacts with them and teaches.

"Children...when they get hurt, their heads go down, they get sad...that's one of my experiences. I love children, I really do. They're very spiritual little beings."

Now Courterielle lives in Edmonton by himself.

"I'm doing pretty good. I'm involved in drugs and alcohol [programs] now, try to help out people, and street kids...I've come long ways now, I'm happy.

"And also the sense of humor that sort of keeps me going. You gotta laugh. You gotta laugh. That's what it's for. You gotta laugh. You'll forget about your problems."

Humor and laughter were the theme of a workshop presented at the conference by Rob Chubb, who said, "The most successful people are those who have a wonderful sense of humor." Chubb said the person who laughs, lasts.

According to research, Chubb said adults laugh on average about 15 times a day, whereas children laugh anywhere from 80 to 100 times a day.

"One thing that we know is true, is...that laughter is the shortest distance between two people. You are more closely connected to the partner you laughed and shared this with than you would be had you complained. And when you grow up, you learn how to interact based on connection.

"If you don't use it, you lose it. If you're down to 15 or 10 times laughing a day-you are at risk," said Chubb.

"Under stress we regress," he said and cited yawning, crying and laughing as ways to reduce stress and tension.

When you really get laughing, he said, a really hearty laugh, that's loud, and the shoulders are rocking and rolling and the breathing and heart rate increase, there is a release of chemicals, including cortisone and noradrenaline.

"Some of that stuff you can buy at the drugstore and pay big bucks for it, or you can get the real thing by relaxing and laughing and letting yourself go."

In stressful situations, Chubb recommended "doing the opposite than what's expected" and using humor as Aikido, which means using the momentum of energy in a situation to save yourself.

"As you begin looking for humorous things, you'll see them everywhere," he said. "Memorable moments stacked on top of each other. What better gift can we give children that we work with or families?"