The Symphony of Strength: Laura's Dance with Adversity, Unyielding Joy, and the Laughter That Heals

https://icope2hope.com/When life handed Laura the most heart-wrenching of challenges, she crafted a tapestry of resilience that not only held her family together but also inspired those around her. This episode brings you the soul-stirring narrative of a mother who danced with cancer's shadow, bore the insurmountable pain of her adopted son's suicide, and yet emerged with her spirit unbroken. We navigate the depths of Laura's despair and the peaks of her unwavering strength, as she candidly shares the intimate details of her emotional journey, the dissolution of a long marriage, and the life-affirming connection with her twin sister that propelled her forward.

Amidst the turbulence of her health battles and personal trials, Laura discovered a wellspring of joy in mentoring foster youth, crafting a legacy of hope from the fragments of loss. Our conversation with Laura is a symphony of life's complexities, as she recounts her transformative experiences with humor and grace, revealing how she reclaimed the rhythm of life through music, art, and community service. Her book "Flourishing After Adversity" serves as a beacon to others, outlining a pathway to resilience that she now passionately shares through her website, coaching services, and upcoming resources.

The laughter that punctuates our discussion with Laura is a testament to the healing power of joy and the importance of spreading it generously. She reminds us that a smile, a shared joke, or a playful exchange can light up the darkest corners of our lives and the lives of others. As Laura looks forward to returning for another enriching dialogue, we are left with her infectious energy, a reminder that even amidst life's most ferocious storms, one can still emerge, not just surviving, but thriving with a heart full of laughter.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:02

Good afternoon and welcome to another episode of A Contagious Smile, where every smile tells a story, and this story is a very inspirational one. I couldn't wait to get Laura on here with me because her story is amazing. It's nothing shy of amazing, and what is amazing about it is it's very heartening what she went through in a very short period of time, but how she's come out on the other side, and so I can't wait to get into this with her and let everybody know your story. Laura, thank you so much for being here with us today. I really appreciate it.

Speaker 2: 0:35

Thank you for having me.

Speaker 1: 0:36

I'm so excited to share my story with you and your listeners listeners well, you are an author, you're a resilience coach, um, but you had to overcome four major and I mean major life challenges. If I if I remember correctly, it was over like a five year period yes yes I I call them the double whammies because two of them happened.

Speaker 2: 1:02

You know, two happened at the same time and a couple of years later. The other two happened during COVID.

Speaker 1: 1:09

Well, first, uh, you had breast cancer. How are you now?

Speaker 2: 1:13

Most importantly, I'm cancer free. Thank you for you. That's amazing.

Speaker 1: 1:18

You look amazing. So, awesome, that's awesome. So you had breast cancer and when all this was happening, you were getting a double his, a double mastectomy.

Speaker 2: 1:30

Yes, correct, okay.

Speaker 1: 1:32

And it's so hard to talk about, like just because when I was, when I was reading all about you, like I was just like I wanted to hug you because it was just like, how did she keep it together? You know just everything that you went through you were getting ready to have a uh your double his uh mastectomy and you were in the hospital and your two sons came to see you, um one of which can you tell us a little bit about him and what was going?

Speaker 2: 2:02

on about him and what was going on. Sure, sure, it was actually my husband and my older son. We had adopted him from another country when he was nine and he was three months older than our other son, and so I was unable to have another any more children. I had three miscarriages after I had my first son, and so we came to the decision to adopt and Gregory is his name and we adopted him, like I said, when he was nine and we had 10 wonderful years together, and and then at that point he was starting to his behavior started changing a couple of months before I went into the hospital, and so we had just started a business. We were a couple of years into the business when I got diagnosed, and so a lot of stuff was going on, so we didn't notice the red flags at first, and so we found out that he had started taking drugs, and I don't know how long it had gone on, but we noticed the changes about three months before I went in the hospital. So my husband and Gregory came in the hospital. So, um, so it they, my husband and Gregory came to the hospital, and my husband was kind of hoping I could talk to him.

Speaker 2: 3:32

Um, I, I had a little more patience um with him than my husband did, um, just because I I'm a mom. Um, gregory and I were a lot alike, even though I wasn't his biological mother. But we were both introverts, we both had, you know, we got when we focused on something, we got fixated on it and I just had a lot of patience with them. I just knew he needed a mother at the time. We adopted him and we were very close and so I began to talk to him and he didn't want to talk, wouldn't answer me, and he just kept looking down and I just finally said to him you know, gregory, there's nothing you could ever do or say that would ever stop us from loving you. And but we don't like your behavior and we need to come up with a solution. We need you to think about how can you change your behavior. We'll help you if you want us to. But because he was 19, at the time right and so it's like you.

Speaker 2: 4:43

You know we just can't go on like this, and so, um, um, I had to get some tests done, so my husband took him back home, and a couple of hours later my husband came back and said he had died by suicide and that short window from when you saw him to a few hours later later no, idea, no I was just in shock and the nurses were on standby to give me you know sedative or something, or something they asked me.

Speaker 2: 5:19

You know, finally it was just it. I felt like I was in. Finally it was just it. I felt like I was in shock. I was just trying to process it and cause it was like it can't be. And and I tell, with the story, I feel like I, I, I couldn't even cry. I mean, you know, you're in that much shock and you're processing it.

Speaker 2: 5:43

And and I felt, am I a bad mother because I'm not crying, or should I be hysterical? And the nurses, you know, said do you want anything? I went, no, I don't want anything. I I'm, I'm fine. And and um, and everybody just kept looking at me when I guess waiting for me to explode or something. And um, and they were like, do you want us to postpone your surgery, cause it was scheduled for the next morning? And I was like, no, I've been dreading the surgery for so many months. I just rather get it over with, and I figured that was probably the best thing for me to do was just to continue on with that.

Speaker 2: 6:22

But but yeah, it was, um, completely unexpected and you know, it uh just completely caught me by surprise. But we were fortunate. Um, the pastor from our church, he and his wife came, uh, when they first heard about it. They came to visit and they had experienced the same thing about five years prior, and so it was so comforting to have someone there who understood. You know, so it was. It was very powerful and helped tremendously.

Speaker 1: 7:02

Right? Well, let me first tell you that you don't have to have DNA to be a mom, I know. Well, I mean, trust me, I have a DNA mom who's not a mom. So you know, I, I that's true, it's very true. And did he overdose? How did he? How?

Speaker 2: 7:22

did he commit suicide? He he shot himself Um. Our, um our sons had um. They were very close Um they we we homeschooled.

Speaker 2: 7:35

You know, we, um, they, uh, were very active in their boy scout troop. They became Eagle scouts, um together, they, they um. When they turned 16, um, they went into the army national guard. My husband had been um, uh in the guard and the army reserves um too. So they um went in um together and um. So you know. So we, we had, we had guns in the house, but everybody knew how to use them and evidently that's what he did, he, he, he shot himself and so, yeah, it, it, it, it, it, it, it.

Speaker 2: 8:24

It was sad I didn't want people to remember him by that because you know, for 10 years he was just a delight. He was so um, he has such a funny wit about him. He loved computers. I used to tell him you know, when are you going to finish building that transporter? So you know we can go do a lot of traveling and you know, like Star Trek was that, you know where they get on the stage and travel over you know different places, and he would just laugh at me. And he was just a delight, he just got around some people that weren't a good influence and when he fixated on something it was, you know, he, he just had tunnel vision and I think he would. He wanted to stop but he couldn't.

Speaker 2: 9:19

And how was your other son, laura, he's fine, he. He took it really hard too because, like I said, they were very close, um, uh, but, um, my, um, my other son now he is um 27 and he just got married last year and, um, they're, uh, getting ready to have their first baby, but the end of the month I know, I know, I'm so excited. It's a girl, so a boy mom having a first time granddaughter. You know you can write spoiled on her name, but, um, but my, my son is doing well, he was at the time it happened.

Speaker 2: 10:05

He was off on a training exercise and so the chaplain came and talked to him and they were very, very responsive about getting him any kind of help he needed to process and he came home and you know, we, we dealt with it together but, but but now we remember the good times in, we have so many happy memories and so we processed our grief and we have peace of mind about it now. So now when we talk about him, it's you know it's it's it's a lot of fun and happy memories and so, and that's how I got into becoming a mentor with um youth who have experienced foster care and are transitioning out of foster care into adulthood now, as as if that wasn't enough, because absolutely it was.

Speaker 1: 11:09

But then you find out you need to have a heart transplant.

Speaker 2: 11:13

Yes, well, I tell you that it was really good that I had breast cancer, and I know that sounds funny. But by going through the cancer treatments, the chemo treatments, it turned on a genetic marker for congestive heart failure, and so it took a while to figure that out. But I have an identical twin sister and she had just been diagnosed with congestive heart failure, about two years before I got diagnosed with breast cancer. And so the I knew the chemo drugs were very, very strong and could damage my body. But unfortunately, I went to her cardiologist and he just he said this is just too many similarities and referred us to the heart clinic here in in in town, and and through multiple tests they found out that, yes, I did have congestive heart failure genetic marker. Um, we had our other younger brother tested in his kids. So, um, you know, not everybody has the marker, but, um, but we found out some of the kids do, but we found out some of the kids do. And so, basically, what was happening is the chemo flipped that switch. I just, I just that's how I describe it it's like flip the switch on and my heart was giving out. And so if, if, I had not had breast cancer? I don't think that would have. Either it wouldn't have shown up or it would have shown up later on in life if something else triggered it, but we wouldn't have made that connection.

Speaker 2: 13:10

How long did you have to wait on your heart? Um, by the well, I, I the fall of 2019. And um, so January 20 of 20, january 2020 is when they realized I need a heart transplant and they put me on the transplant list and, honestly, at the time I don't think I really realized how bad I was, um, and because they were pretty concerned and move me, got me moved up to the top of the list and um, I just thought it was because of um, you know, the pandemic going on, um, but I, I went into the hospital of um on April 20th of 2020, six days later they found me a heart and I mean that was a miracle in itself because when the pandemic shut everything down, they said the doctors told me it may take a while to find a heart for you, because it has to be so many things that have to match up Right, and people are are staying home, so they may not. You know, it may take longer than expected. So I figured I'd be in the hospital.

Speaker 2: 14:25

Four to six weeks, maybe six days later, they put a new heart in me and two weeks later I went home. Wow, yeah, I didn't have any pain at all with my incision. I look like a science project. I had all these tubes coming in and out of me and but I didn't feel any pain afterwards. And when I was leaving the hospital I said I can't imagine going through anything more challenging than a heart transplant. And then a month later I found out my marriage was over.

Speaker 1: 15:03

So that had to come. It's such a huge shock. You were 27 years married, right, we had I mean it, it.

Speaker 2: 15:11

We had our ups and downs and we had gone to marriage counseling about a year prior to my heart transplant. But you know, when you, when you get married, it's, you know, in in good times and bad and sickness, you know. And and I thought, well, we're just kind of hitting all the the major points of um, a marriage and um, but. But he had moved on about um a year and a half prior to um, my surgery, I, I didn't know that I suspected something, but I didn't have, I didn't have proof Right and um, so, um. So not only did we have to quarantine for the pandemic, but I had to quarantine just for my heart transplant, um to recover from that for a year after my surgery and um. So I moved in with my twin sister and that's really when um I went through.

Speaker 2: 16:14

I got on that emotional roller coaster trying to process everything how do? Because I didn't know a bunch of stuff at the time and I'm like, how do you? How do you? How does he flip the switch going Well, it's been good, I'm moving on, see you know, see you sometime. And and that's when things started coming to light.

Speaker 2: 16:36

Shortly, a couple of months after that, I found a lot of stuff I didn't know was going on. And, to add insult to injury, it was a woman he had hired to help him with the side business he had started and then he wanted to bring her on to help with our business. And I think that and I, when I suspected that, I would ask you know, are you having an affair with her? And he could look me straight in the eye and deny it, just in the eye and deny it just, and I thought until I get proof I can't do anything about it, you know, and so so, so, yeah, so it, yeah, I. I just went through a lot of emotions and my heart doctors were concerned because I was supposed to really lower my stress.

Speaker 1: 17:32

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 17:34

So my body didn't reject my new heart or, you know, have any infections, and so it was a really, really turbulent time. How did you do it? What was your stress relief, or what was your out, as some people call it? You know, I, I just told my well, once I hit, I went through all the stages of grief with the divorce and and as things were coming to light, I hit that anger stage and I was at first I was angry at him, but then I was angry at me because I had this new heart, I had this new life and I had to decide am I going to be a victim and just keep suffering, or am I going to become a victor and pick myself up and move on with my life, because he's already moved on with his? And that's when I realized I'm, I'm going to do this. I have my son, you know, to live for my, my, my siblings and their families were close knit family and I have so much to live. I, you know I'm, I'm almost 60.

Speaker 1: 18:46

I, I've, I'm old but I'm not that old, you know I'm sure people are wondering is your ex-husband still with that woman now?

Speaker 2: 18:57

I think so I don't know. I, um, I, I wanted to, I wanted a divorce as quickly as I could, um and uh, and and which was, fortunately we were able to do, um, and I just decided when that divorce was final. He no longer is in my life. For you, you know, it's, it's, it's just, that's the cutoff, and I, I don't, I, I, I don't know, I don't even really, I can't even say I care.

Speaker 2: 19:32

Yeah, you have a new heart and he's not in it, right, and and fortunately you know you have a grown son, so there's, I have no need for contact with him anymore. I'm not bitter about it because once they made that decision, it's over. You know, live in the moment and look forward. The past is the past, you can't change it. Moment and look forward. The past is the past, you can't change it.

Speaker 2: 19:59

And because of my faith, I gave all that anger because I, I'll be honest, I wanted revenge.

Speaker 2: 20:02

I wanted to get some of this stuff that I found out out, you know, in the public and it was, and I realized that's not going to help me any, it's not going to help my son, um, and I just realized that's something that I just need to let go of. And, because of my faith, I'll let God take care of that part and I'll concentrate on helping myself move forward. And and and that was that game changer, that the radical acceptance of it is what it is. Now, what are you going to do? And so that's what I started doing was just, you know, just figuring it out on my own, pretty much, because with COVID, I, um, I couldn't see that I had gone back to the marriage counselor for individual counseling so I didn't have to rehash you know things that she already knew. Um. But then I had problems with the insurance after the divorce so I didn't have insurance for a year so I couldn't see the counselor can get my follow-up visits from my heart transplant.

Speaker 1: 21:14

You would think those would end with the cost of surgery that all the post-op would come.

Speaker 2: 21:19

Well, it, it, it, it's. It's a. It's a long story but in a nutshell, I had military insurance under my social, but there was a reason that they there was a, a reason that it took me almost a year to find out that they had marked my record as having other insurance and I didn't, and that had to. A form had to be filled out to mark that account. So when I figured out the process, I said show me the form that I filled out and two weeks later I was able to enroll in insurance. So that was really frustrating, you know. But but yeah, so it's. You know, when, when somebody had called us, somebody called me the, the little clown doll that you punch, you know, and it goes down.

Speaker 2: 22:14

Yeah Well, I don't remember what the name of that was. I didn't know. I had one when I was a child and they said it's like man, it's like you. Just, they just kept punching you down and you kept coming back up. I said, yeah, but I didn't. Sometimes I didn't come up real quickly, but sometimes I was like I, I, you know, I, I'm eligible for that, I deserve that, I'm going to get it. And and you learn how to be creative when you feel like you're just hitting a wall everywhere, you know, but you always came back up.

Speaker 2: 22:44

I did. But see, I'm, I'm stubborn. My, my parents used to always um, call me stubborn when I was older, I mean when I was younger, and as I got older it's still. I was selectively stubborn and um, but I'm, I'm, I'm all about fairness, and sometimes those injustices are what really get under my skin, and I've had to learn how to deal with injustice and I've learned how to either get around it or accept it and find another way.

Speaker 1: 23:21

you know so what is Laura up to now, what are you up to and what makes your heart smile, and what fun things are you doing?

Speaker 2: 23:31

I love sharing my life lessons with other people because I would never want anybody to have to figure it out like I did and go through the trial and error, and so I I think I have found a process. I know it worked for me. It's it's just a three-step process that I have broken down into basic steps to help you get started. You know, and, and and I and I I call it that because when I was going through my stuff, I couldn't find anything. I that's why I wrote my book. I wanted something, I wanted practical steps to move forward, and I don't want to stew in my suffering and um, and so I, I love helping my clients move past adversity and to find their um, you know, find their new purpose and and rediscover joy and uh. So since I've been through all this this really just all kind of happened four years ago Um, I have rediscovered hobbies that I had put on the back burner so started playing the piano again. Um, I've, uh, crocheted some baby blankets for my, my new grand baby, and um, I I'm getting back into quilting. Um, I just uh, I'm, you know, I'm involved with the local organization that helps foster youth transition into adulthood, and I love traveling with my family and, um, I mean, I just, I feel like I am really truly living, I'm not existing anymore and I just like. It feels so good.

Speaker 2: 25:34

I just want others to to get here. You know everybody's going to go through ups and downs and, and to me, a loss is a loss, it, it doesn't. You know, I don't want people to look at me and go well, I could never go through what you did. I could never bounce back. You can, if I can do it, you too, and I want to show you how I want to help you, because when you get over that wall, um of um, you know despair and just hopelessness and you realize there's a beautiful garden, a beautiful you know green meadow, all these beautiful flowers, and life is just amazing and you can do it, you know it's. I. People have so much potential. I don't think they realize how much potential they have inside them.

Speaker 1: 26:29

Tell us about your books and where we can find them out your books and where we can find them.

Speaker 2: 26:38

Yes, I wrote a book flourishing after adversity and it's all about my three-step framework and you can find it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble, and if you go to my website, if you're in the United States, you can get a free copy of the paperback. Just pay $5 shipping and handling and you'll get a free copy of the paperback. Um, just pay $5 shipping and handling and you'll get a free copy of my book and I also on my website. Um, I also have a free resource um 20 key strategies for strengthening resilience and embracing change. These are some of the same strategies I learned to get over my challenges and I also have some blogs to read, and so a lot of free resources there.

Speaker 1: 27:25

That's fantastic. I want to make sure that we get all of the links in every which way possible that people can reach out to you. Do you offer like one-on-one coaching?

Speaker 2: 27:39

Yes, I do. I also have coaching resources. I'm working on a workbook in the audio book for my book as well. My book came out in December of 2023. So lots of good things going on're a busy lady, absolutely busy lady.

Speaker 1: 27:56

Well, I want to make sure that you do promise to come back on with us again. I would love to. We would love to have you. I love that before we went on, she goes where are y'all from? Because I heard michael on one of the shows say y'all. And what was the other thing? What?

Speaker 2: 28:13

what?

Speaker 1: 28:13

yeah, I'm always like what? Because he says something like or oil, I can't even do it like. He'll say it's a pillow, a pillar, pillar, and I'm like what? I've known him 25 years. I'm like what's a pillar? And I was like I think of a pillar of strength or you know, and he's like no, but what you lay your head on and I'm like, and that's a pillow, he's like it's a pillar and I'm like it's.

Speaker 1: 28:33

He's like it's a pillar and I'm like it's a pillow, and then it's like oil and I'm like oil and my daughter, faith, is like dad and he was, like you know, hill and I'm like that's what you climb and he's like no telling the dog to hill and I'm like that's and it's just so funny. He's like I'm just a simple redneck, so it's it's so funny because, like we just and and she just gives him such a hard time. She's like really, dad, I mean I can't, you know he's like aluminum, full foot.

Speaker 2: 29:04

I can't fall yep, and then it's wrestling, wrestling.

Speaker 1: 29:08

That was like the one I got and I'm like it's wrestling. And he's like, oh, it's not, it's just so funny because we just, you know the banter back and forth, it's great, but like just listening.

Speaker 2: 29:19

Y'all are so funny to listen to and you know what's horrible is?

Speaker 1: 29:23

he thinks he's horrible at podcasting and I said no y'all are.

Speaker 2: 29:28

Y'all are fantastic together.

Speaker 1: 29:30

Thank you, I can't tell him I'm like you know, I wish you cause we, we, he he read an excerpt from one of my books and he was like I'm not doing this again and it was you know. We just were very open about everything. We're best friends and soulmates and we've been through a lot. He was my my one call when I went through domestic violence and he literally has been everything. And like I tell him I said so many people literally talk about how great you are and you're like no, I'm horrible at it and it's like I have to, like, come on, you got to do it, you got to do it.

Speaker 1: 30:08

And everybody's like I'm listening Y'all's banter and the camaraderie and you know and everything you know. And we don't rehearse, we just talk. It's just what we do and it's you know. That's how we are as a family. We sit down as a family and there's no electronics at the table, there's no hats at the table. It's how was your day, what did y'all do? And him and my daughter are major pranksters to one another, like unbelievable old prankster. It doesn't matter. They were pranking each other when my daughter was hospitalized and I'm like I really don't find this appropriate right now. And they're like, oh, you know, we gotta laugh and I'm, you know, literally, but it's, it's so much fun because life is too short and you have to laugh, you have to have a good time you and you can find the humor in in anything but at the appropriate time, right and I I have hearing aids, and so that's why there's a little delay and I apologize.

Speaker 1: 31:02

But you know, and I told my daughter. I was like, what's so great about this is that when your dad's like, yeah, yeah, yeah, I go you get the selective hearing and she's like dad, you know she has them off right, like she's not listening. And he's like he just looks at me.

Speaker 2: 31:21

What he's like, are they off?

Speaker 1: 31:22

and I'm like so it's so funny. More fun, you know, just to be able to, you know, bounce, because life is too short not to enjoy every minute of it.

Speaker 2: 31:35

It is. Yeah, that is so true. And and having a sense of humor, it's, it's really needed for that, you know, for your mental health, the wellbeing, because all those endorphins and you know the happy, the happy feelings, and that comes from laughing, it's, it's good to do that at least once a day, full belly laugh.

Speaker 1: 31:57

Absolutely, absolutely Like she did a great prank on him. She was like, you know, when she was in the hospital this this last time she interviewed blue bloods on set, oh, and I'm like she's in the ICU and I'm like I'm so sorry we don't have this. We have this background and abigail um detective abigail baker on the show, which is fabulous, wonderful woman and so, um, she was like, yeah, I pranked my dad all the time these things I did. So somebody gave her a gift or she got let me take it back she got a gift card for dunkin donuts and she said to to him.

Speaker 1: 32:32

She goes. You know, you're just so great and I love you and and every saturday night they have a movie night. It's daddy daughter movie night and so, together, no matter what, it's their time. And so before he went to work one day, she's like I just want to thank you so much for being my dad and I love you. And she gave him the card. So he, he calls and I can't lie to save my life, like it's all over my face and so she didn't tell me what was going on.

Speaker 1: 32:58

And he calls on on facetime and he's like I just want to thank my beautiful little girl. So he drives up and she's like where you at? And he's like don't do that. And she's like okay, and like she gets straight face and I'm like what? And I'm like looking, and so he orders and he goes to the window. He's like I am just so honored, my, my beautiful girl, get me a gift card so I can have a donut and coffee on my way into work.

Speaker 1: 33:24

And she is like losing it quietly and they said, oh, what a great kid you have. He's like I know right, he hands them the gift card and the lady goes there's nothing on here, it's not even activated. And he goes what? And now faith, our daughter, is racking up and he says they said sir, this, this card's invalid, it's not, it's not even been activated, there's no money on this card. And faith like reaches up and goes, um, not gonna help, I have your wallet, is it? And this is what they do. And I'm like are you proud of yourself? She's like, yeah, I kind of am, and I'm like okay, so I mean, this is just every day, it's something else like this daily, so it's always fun and it's always you know what's going to happen next and you know it's great to watch from the third side of it yeah, let's say, as long as they don't involve me.

Speaker 1: 34:21

Have at it no, they, they know not to prank me, they won't do that again. So, um, they learn the hard way. And so now they, they do not prank me, and that's really smart. And so they learned that you know they don't want to go to that level because I I hope I come back with my pranking and they just realize it's not advantageous take that level.

Speaker 1: 34:43

So you know they stay, they keep me out of it, but it's fun like when she came out of the hospital she hates barbie, she is a tomboy tenfold and he took her room she, she does art stuff too and so we. Her whole room was her artwork and it was beautiful and he took all of it down and decorated it in hot pink barbie from the floor to the ceiling, the bedspread, the like everything was barbie. And she looks at me and there's like 50 pink barbie balloons all over the floor and she looks at me and I, I I was just like it's not worth going to jail for sweetheart. You know, just, you know kidding with her. And she just looks over at him and she goes. I was in the hospital for five weeks and that's the best you got. And she they're ruthless they are.

Speaker 1: 35:39

So she grabbed me and she's like mom, come with me in the bathroom and I'm like okay. And then she's like I was like yeah, that's kind of that was, that was not good, and she was like I will not let him have it I will not.

Speaker 1: 35:54

And so like, well, now we know where all this hot air went, and like, this was what they do, and and she's like you had to do Barbie, right? Barbie, yeah, okay. And then she was like good try, didn't phase me. And she's walking out just spitting nails behind his back.

Speaker 2: 36:11

And it's just she's good.

Speaker 1: 36:15

I and it's just she's good. She is good because I couldn't have done it. I'd have been like all that hot air you pop every one of those balloons and you're gonna take all that down, but I just I love it because you know. Laughter, I think, is the best medicine all the way around and it certainly is. That's what you got to do in life is just smile and have a good day and one person just make their day right better, because you don't know what they're going through.

Speaker 1: 36:35

You have no idea, and it doesn't cost a thing to do it. So it's just, you know, a gift that you can give.

Speaker 2: 36:42

That is true, that is so true.

Speaker 1: 36:45

Laura, you have been amazing to have on. It's been nothing less than my honor. I hope you'll come back and join us again.

Speaker 2: 36:51

I would love to Thank you so much. I've had a wonderful time.

Speaker 1: 36:56

Oh, thank you. I want you to send me all of your links and how we can get ahold of you any and every which place. I'm going to put them in the show notes and make sure everybody can get to you.

Speaker 2: 37:04

I would be happy to Thank you so much.