image:Roy Buri
My grandfather was a safety officer at Cwmcarn Pit, South Wales. Each day he would join his fellow miners descending into the depths of the earth to mine coal. Among other things it was his responsibility to make sure no carbon monoxide or methane was present to endanger lives and in those days a canary in a cage was used to detect the odourless gases.
A canary needs much greater amounts of oxygen than other animals. In order to fly to heights that would make people altitude sick, birds require immense quantities of oxygen so their anatomy allows them to take in oxygen as they inhale and again as they exhale. Because of the extra air intake and small frame, the poisonous gas will effect it very quickly and give enough warning for the miners to evacuate.
But the canary wasn’t just a warning signal, its cheerful whistle broke up the darkness and monotony of the miner’s day. They would whistle along with the bird and bring music and joy into their otherwise bleak underground experience.
This all came flooding back to me this week when I read a quote from Andrew Denton, “Laughter is the canary in the coal mine of any relationship”. What a beautiful and telling image.
A canary needs much greater amounts of oxygen than other animals. In order to fly to heights that would make people altitude sick, birds require immense quantities of oxygen so their anatomy allows them to take in oxygen as they inhale and again as they exhale. Because of the extra air intake and small frame, the poisonous gas will effect it very quickly and give enough warning for the miners to evacuate.
But the canary wasn’t just a warning signal, its cheerful whistle broke up the darkness and monotony of the miner’s day. They would whistle along with the bird and bring music and joy into their otherwise bleak underground experience.
This all came flooding back to me this week when I read a quote from Andrew Denton, “Laughter is the canary in the coal mine of any relationship”. What a beautiful and telling image.
Laughter brings music and joy into a relationship. it lightens our spirit and connects us to each other in a unique way. And if tensions, stress or anxiety rise, laughter can defuse the situation in healthy ways; its a rich gift. If it ceases, its more than likely a warning sign.
I wonder if there is any greater joy than spending time with people who knows how to laugh. There are few things that feel so great as a good belly laugh, to laugh till you cry, till your chest hurts and your tummy aches and all your stress evaporates. To share that with someone else is healing and life-giving.
That’s another memory I treasure of my grandfather, he had the most hearty, joyous laugh. I would sit on his lap as a small child and listen to his stories, to his glorious voice as he sang me Welsh ditties and laugh with him as he caught me up in his enthusiasm for life.
How does one maintain that joie de vie day after day in the darkness of the pit? I’ve descended into one of those coal mines and it is the darkest place I have ever encountered. And yet those miners were a jolly lot.
I wonder if there is any greater joy than spending time with people who knows how to laugh. There are few things that feel so great as a good belly laugh, to laugh till you cry, till your chest hurts and your tummy aches and all your stress evaporates. To share that with someone else is healing and life-giving.
That’s another memory I treasure of my grandfather, he had the most hearty, joyous laugh. I would sit on his lap as a small child and listen to his stories, to his glorious voice as he sang me Welsh ditties and laugh with him as he caught me up in his enthusiasm for life.
How does one maintain that joie de vie day after day in the darkness of the pit? I’ve descended into one of those coal mines and it is the darkest place I have ever encountered. And yet those miners were a jolly lot.
Sadly, I have very few photos of my grandfather. This one taken when my father enlisted for WW11. He looks serious here in a way I rarely saw but I guess it was another difficult time seeing your son head off to war.
As if to recompense for the harshness of life, nature bestowed on them a gift beyond measure, the gift of music. Singing was the sunshine of their lives. They sang together as they wandered home each night, each man turning off to his house as they came to it. I would love to have been there as those blackened men, oil lamps in hand, weaved their way through the narrow streets, singing in their magnificent harmonies; what a sound it must have been.
My grandfather taught me so much about life. He lived very simply, didn't have a lot of what this world now considered necessary but he was content and had a zest for life, he was always whistling or singing, and laughter almost seemed his language. He had a jovial heart and he loved well.
His life had been harsh, losing two daughters in infancy and a son in war, yet he was never bitter or in anyway defined by the scars of life. He was a man who knew the depths of darkness in ways few of us will and yet he found a way to live light and hold it out for others.
My grandfather taught me so much about life. He lived very simply, didn't have a lot of what this world now considered necessary but he was content and had a zest for life, he was always whistling or singing, and laughter almost seemed his language. He had a jovial heart and he loved well.
His life had been harsh, losing two daughters in infancy and a son in war, yet he was never bitter or in anyway defined by the scars of life. He was a man who knew the depths of darkness in ways few of us will and yet he found a way to live light and hold it out for others.
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