Kirby Pines Retirement Community | The Pinecone

Donald has been taking on the added duties and responsibilities of Transportation Supervisor since the position has been vacant. He is very friendly and always has a good attititude. Don has been making the schedules, assisting with the delivery of packages to residents and taking care of the transportation needs for residents and employees. We are proud to have him. - Michael Escamilla, Executive Director • 8 • The Pinecone | March 2022 Describe Your Family: Wife Sheri, kids Ben & Betsy, grandchildren Sophie, Huxley, Harrison &Miles. Describe yourself in five words: Loving, funny, inquisitive, passionate, dependable. What do you do for fun: Follow my grandchildren, listen to music, watch documentaries, workout. Do you have any hobbies or interests: Researching my genealogy and writing. What is your favorite food: Tacos. Favorite song: Rhapsody In Blue by George Gershwin. What is your favorite thing about your job: Talking to the residents. I never knew my grandparents, so they are the next best thing. What is something you are proud of: Helping raise exceptional children who are loving, helpful and good friends to their friends. What would you like people to know about you: During my 35 years producing television programs and custom videos, I have traveled to every state except North Dakota and Alaska. Congratulations to our EMPLOYEE of the Month DONALD GREAR Transportation Driver Calling all gigglers, cacklers, chortlers, and belly laughers, this is the day you’ve been waiting for. National Let’s Laugh Day is a 24-hour joke-fest on March 19 where we celebrate the uniting force of laughter. Let’s Laugh Day is a chance to have a chuckle with the ones you love (rubber chicken not required). HISTORY OF NATIONAL LET'S LAUGH DAY Every year, on National Let’s Laugh Day, we are reminded to keep things light and pep things up with a little humor. If you have been in the doldrums for a while now, or haven’t been feeling too good, then you need to laugh the worries away and take it easy. Laughter is, after all, the best medicine, and it is just what the doctor prescribed for March 19! Jokes have long been the best way to provide comic relief. The world’s oldest joke can be traced back to 1900 B.C. Laughter can also be contagious. This is why laugh tracks were added to television shows to cue when the audience is supposed to laugh and to indicate when a comedic scene happens. The first American television show to use a laugh track was in 1950, in “The Hank McCune Show.” Where frowns cause wrinkles, laughing creates adorable crinkles that are good for the muscles. ‘Laughter yoga’ is now quite a popular activity, in which muscles of the face, abdomen, and lungs are engaged using laughter as the core exercise. Laughter also releases endorphins and lowers the stress hormone, cortisol, in the body. According to the Mayo Clinic, “Laughter can: Stimulate many organs. Laughter enhances your intake of oxygen-rich air, stimulates your heart, lungs and muscles, and increases the endorphins that are released by your brain.” TOP 5 LAUGH TYPES Let's Laugh Day is March 19th 31% Giggle 20% Chuckle 19% Belly Laugh 7% Cry Laugh 6% Guffaw 95% of Americans say laughter is a stress reliever. 96% of Americans like to make others laugh. 77% think they are funny. 39% say they make fun of themselves to make others laugh. 60% of Americans say they are funnier than their significant other. 68% of men & 54% of women, think they are funnier. WHO MAKES PEOPLE LAUGH THE MOST Dad 5% , Mom 7% , Siblings 8% , Their Kids 15% , Significant Others 26% , Friends 38% . 86% of people laugh even when no one's around! 79% of people like their own laugh, but if given the choice, they would prefer to have these kinds of laughs: An Infectious Laugh 45% , a Sweet Laugh 33% , a Goofy Laugh 14% , a Belly Laugh 5% and an Annoying Laugh 3% .