Las Vegas For My Health, Yeah, That's It, It's For My Health!

It is time for one of my favorite events of the year, an annual mini-getaway with some great friends. I guarantee within 5 minutes of greeting each other in the baggage claim area, we will be rolling with laughter. And it won't let up until we part at the airport again on Friday.

The weeks and months of stress will begin to dissipate. Withing a few hours, I'll have forgotten how difficult just yesterday felt. Without taking an extra vitamin or adding any notable exercise, I will actually feel better, healthier. This is the great wonder of time-off, of good friends, of laughter.

Laughter. Absolutely great medicine.

We've known each other for over 30 years. We have been taking an annual trip together for over 20 years. This year is our most common destination, Las Vegas. We have done a few other things like weekend cruises or even Hawaii, but Vegas is our mainstay. And it doesn't matter where we go, what we do, who else we see, it will be full on honest-to-goodness hearty laughs. By now we have amassed more stories than we can remember in a single day.

Among those stories are different trips, different days, where one or two of the group of four have been under the weather, faced food poisoning, or otherwise dealt with health issues. While it may seem to ruin a moment here or there, it always ends up with some funny story associated with it.

Have you ever tried to find some chicken soup, to go, at a casino in Las Vegas? We've got a terribly funny story about that. Have you ever seen somebody actually appear to turn green from something eaten? Fortunately that ended up closer to funny than terrible (at least looking back at it now). There is one evening, my poor wife dragged herself out of the room after recouping the entire day. She even missed dinner but she got up and dressed to meet us for a late night show. It was about the worst show we've ever seen and so now the running gag is, "I got out of bed for THAT?"

And on occasion, we've seen one or another having a bit of a slow morning *wink* after a little extra champagne while celebrating the night before.

I can say though, that the incidence of illness while traveling has not been significantly different for us as compared to being home. We use all the basic standard precautions. We cover our mouths when coughing or sneezing, usually with a tissue if it isn't a "sneak attack." We routinely wash our hands throughout the day and especially whenever we sit down to eat (we've handled all sorts of stuff from doorknobs to money to casino chips all day). Several years back we started carrying hand sanitizer with us no matter where we go. We eat at reputable places although that isn't always a guarantee (ask my "green" buddy mentioned earlier). We will travel in the confines of airplanes. We will ride in taxis. We will meet and greet many people along the way. We will use typical precautions but we won't stop living.

And, we won't stop laughing!

Here are some ideas for you to share.
-Do you have a favorite way of getting your dose of laughter?
-Do you have an annual event with friends you've done for years?
-How about a favored destination?