A real Bodhisattvatudinous dude.

I'm beginning to close in on my essay, "Light to De-Light," (tentative title) but meanwhile I've been enjoying a book by Wavy Gravy, my clown guru, titled "Something Good For A Change." (1992)
It's truly a terrific book, with a few excellent exercises for cheering up, such as the Funny Mantra:

"Put a paper bag over your head and do a bunch of
mouth farts - (razzberries), vibrating the paper."

He hands out paper bags to sick kids in the hospital wards and teaches them how to do it.

Also from the one-page intro:

This is Wavy Gravy- author, kids' camp director, humanitarian, activist, pacifist, clown, and temple of accumulated error. I currently reside within these very words you're looking at right now. Juts gaze directly at the page. Start to open your eyes really wide, WIDER STILL! Just explode your eyeballs onto the page.
SEE ALL THE WORDS AT ONCE
LET YOURSELF BEGIN TO FLOAT IN LIGHT
NOW! Quick, touch my cape!
go WHOOSH . . . and
SQUEEZE YOUR EYES SHUT!
See those bright spots on your eyelids? Now go for the light inside the center of your head. Head for the blinding flashes. . .

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Ramon: the funny thing is how close his exercise is to the one I've been polishing - staring at an electric light, turning away, closing my eyes, and then meditating on the afterimage as it gradually dissolves into nothingness -- along with your individual self. It's a combination of Patanjali's yoga 'tratakam' concentration on a object -- in Buddhism the 'kasina' technique of staring at an object until there's a sharp afterimage when you close your eyes -- and from sungazing yoga.
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Another Wavy one from the book:

Laughter is the audio announcement that Fun is being had. In its fullest form, laughter is both healthy and holy. The dictionary further suggests that to amuse means to "delight a person's sense of humor."

Wavy Gravy says, "If you don't have a sense of humor it just isn't funny any more."

Did I get you that time? At least a little flip? Don't worry if you didn't get the flop yet. Just keep on flipping away and the flop will come. In fact, it is that moment between the flip and the flop that the major insights and healing occur.

Try vocalizing the flip as "Aaaahhhhhh." Imagine the Angel of Comedy inserting an invisible tongue depressor into your head -- Aaaahhhhh! -- till you are wide open and totally relaxed. Enter the heavenly hyphen (-) followed b y the great release. "HA!" All together now. "AH-HA! Again. AH-HA! Once more. AH-HA! I think you got it. Now, go with the flop:
HA HA HA HA HA HA.

[END QUOTE]
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Anyway, Wavy's always been my guru and I just love the guy. A real American Bodhisattvatudinous dude.

See if you can pick up the book at your local library.

Wavy's mantra at all times, even after a third flat tire: "Thanks for everything. I have no complaints whatsoever."

For a guy who's been in a full body cast for months of his life, and many physically pain-filled moments, that's impressive.