Lessons from Lasso — It Feels Good To Laugh

We start episode five, season one and Coach Lasso makes the comment, “It feels good to laugh.” Lasso has just been opening up to Rebecca about his marital issues and some of the struggle its been to try and preserve the marriage. His joke about couple’s therapy breaks some of the tension he feels and reveals the depth of hurt and pain in the same moment. Perhaps you have heard it said, “laughter is the best medicine”? That phrase may have originated from a verse in Proverbs (17:22) which says, “A cheerful heart is good medicine.” In today’s “Lessons from Lasso,” we look at the role of laughter in helping us cope when life is hard or things go bad — there is a fine balance to be struck with humor and laughter, and we must be careful to know the right time and place, but laughter can help us spiritually, emotionally, and mentally. Ted Lasso, the immensely popular streaming TV show in its second season on Apple TV+ features the antics and quirky, Coach ‘Ted Lasso.’ Lasso first appeared a number of years ago as a comedic character as NBC purchased the broadcast rights to the English Premier League. Played by Jason Sudeikis, Lasso (as a coach) brings change to the difficult football (soccer) team that he has traveled overseas to coach. In the ‘Lessons from Lasso’ series, I (Rev Brad) look at some of the different life learning points brought up in the show from a chaplain’s point of view. From the Touchline is a short-feature (usually 10-15 min) podcast with Rev Brad Kenney, Founder and Executive Director of Soccer Chaplains United and Volunteer Chaplain to the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer. Rev Brad and occasional guests touch on various issues around the topics of faith, family, and football (soccer). Also, don’t forget that you can listen in our app, SoccrChapUtd, in the Apple and Google store.