“Make sure you marry someone who laughs at the same things you do,” is a quote by J.D. Salinger, the author of The Catcher in the Rye. It is easily the single most impactful quote I have ever read. It has resonated so much with me, it has changed my life. For the happier.
I am a strong believer that finding happiness is the ultimate purpose in all of our lives. For me, being happy involves laughing with the people I love. For a very long time, I was with someone I loved but who I found a hard time being able to laugh with. Although a seemingly minor flaw in the short-run, it was the ultimate sign that we were not meant to be.
Why can’t you marry someone who doesn’t laugh at the same things you do?
It shows that you do not understand each other. If one person constantly fails to laugh at the jokes the other person makes, a problem exists much greater than #thatawkwardmoment when you have to explain your jokes. It shows that you have different perspectives on life; you see things differently, you do not get each other, and you just do not click. He may be handsome, smart, loyal, sweet, and have the same life goals as you – but what’s the point if you’re not happy? Nothing is worth putting up with if you are not truly happy.
If you find someone that can make you laugh and whom you can make laugh, hold onto them tight.
You will search high and low through the schools and the workplaces to find people who satisfy this condition with you. If you get really lucky, sometimes they will find you. Once you’ve found each other, treat it for what it’s worth – potentially the most valuable relationship, romantically or as friends, you’ll ever have. It will amaze you how happy you feel talking to someone who not only understands your sense of humour, but who will make you laugh just as hard. He may not be the guy your parents want you to date; he may not even be the guy you expected yourself to date, but what matters more than the fact that he makes you undeniably happy? Nothing.
The ultimate takeaway: don’t marry someone who you have to explain your jokes to.