微故事: 按鈕下的呼吸 / Breathing Beneath the Button (by Tonkabean)

微故事: 按鈕下的呼吸 (東加豆)

 

我望着日曆。十四號，岳母生日，要買蛋糕。十六號，外父覆診，要請假。二十號，子女家長日，要出席。二十二號，公司季度報告，要交。每一格都是「要」，沒有一格是「想」。

妻子昨晚對我說：「你知不知道你吃飯時，夾了六次菜，次次都是同一碟。你連自己吃什麼都不知道。」我聽完，沒有反應，因為我真的不知道。

晚上九點五十五分，五分鐘後，我期待的大笑瑜伽就開始了。

白天，我是公司的「PPT機械人」—— 寫 PPT ➔ 改 PPT ➔ 說 PPT。夜晚，我把門半掩，打開Zoom，印度導師喊「Ho Ho Ha Ha」，來自世界各地的學員在方格裡攤開雙手，張大嘴巴，隔着螢幕，笑聲卻穿牆過壁，深深地呼吸。

導師說，人平時呼吸，每次只吸入約半公升空氣，叫做潮氣量。我盯着螢幕，忽然覺得，我連呼吸都活得那麼吝嗇——對公司、對家庭、對自己，統統只用最低限度。

我本來是為了笑而來的。但笑著笑著，我發現自己對呼吸的認識，原來如此淺薄。原來我連呼吸，都沒有真正呼吸過。

當我笑到沒有氣，身體卻告訴我另一件事。肺底原來永遠留住三公升空氣，裡面全是二氧化碳。只有主動用力呼氣，才可以逼出一點五公升。大笑瑜伽的自願笑聲，就是一種延長呼氣，將那些死氣逼出來，換入新鮮氧氣。

我一邊笑，一邊懷疑：呼出的二氧化碳裡，有半公升是來自上司的。

我每次笑到肚子都抽搐，都覺得整個人輕了，不是錯覺。

今晚，導師說：「打開鏡頭，跟身邊的人眼神接觸！」我興高采烈準備按下「開啟視訊」——突然，右上角一個新加入的方格亮起。那張臉，我每天早上九點都要面對的——我的上司。

他雙手交疊在胸前，下巴微微抬起，嘴角帶着一絲似笑非笑，眼神像在審視下屬。

我再看他今天發來的訊息。同一段話，他發了訊息，又發電郵，還在群組連發三條語音。幾乎所有人都知道，箭靶中間的圓圈就是我。

這一刻，我看著螢幕上綠色的按鈕，手指比上班時還要僵硬。

如果打開鏡頭，我唯一的避風港，會不會從此淪陷？

完

Micro-story: Breathing Beneath the Button   (by Tonkabean)

 

I looked at the calendar. The 14th: Mother-in-law’s birthday—buy a cake. The 16th: Father-in-law’s medical checkup—take leave. The 20th: Parent-teacher day—attend. The 22nd: Company quarterly report—submit. Every single box was a "must," not a "want."

Last night, my wife said to me, "Do you know that during dinner, you picked food from the exact same dish six times? You don’t even know what you’re eating." I had no response, because I truly didn't know.

At 9:55 PM, five minutes to go, the Laughter Yoga session I was looking forward to was about to start.

By day, I was the company’s "PPT robot"—write PPTs ➔ edit PPTs ➔ present PPTs. By night, with my door half-closed, I opened Zoom. An instructor from India shouted "Ho Ho Ha Ha," while participants from all over the world spread their arms and opened their mouths wide in their video boxes. Across the screen, their laughter broke through walls as they took deep breaths.

The instructor said that when people breathe normally, we only inhale about half a liter of air each time, which is called Tidal Volume. Staring at the screen, I suddenly realized I was living so stingily even with my breathing—giving only the absolute minimum to my company, my family, and myself.

I had come here just to laugh. But as I laughed, I realized how shallow my understanding of breathing really was. I hadn't even been truly breathing all this time.

When I laughed until I ran out of breath, my body revealed another truth. The bottom of the lungs always holds three liters of air, all filled with carbon dioxide. Only by exhaling forcefully can we push out 1.5 liters. The voluntary laughter in Laughter Yoga is actually a prolonged exhalation, forcing out that stale air and bringing in fresh oxygen.

As I laughed, I wondered: among the exhaled carbon dioxide, half a liter probably belonged to my boss.

Every time I laughed until my stomach cramped, I felt lighter all over, and it wasn't just an illusion.

Tonight, the instructor said, "Turn on your camera and make eye contact with the person next to you!" Excited, I prepared to click "Start Video"—when suddenly, a new box in the top right corner lit up. That face, the one I had to face every morning at 9:00 AM—my boss.

With his arms crossed over his chest and his chin slightly raised, a faint, ambiguous smirk played on his lips, his eyes searching like he was reviewing a subordinate.

I recalled the messages he sent today. For the exact same note, he sent a text message, an email, and three consecutive voice messages in the group chat. Almost everyone knew that the bullseye in the middle of the target was me.

At this moment, looking at the green button on the screen, my fingers felt stiffer than they ever did at work.

If I turn on the camera, will my only safe haven fall apart forever?

End

日期 Date： 28 September 2026

圖 Illustration: 人工智豆 (Ai-Bean)

文 Written by: 東加豆 (Tonkabean)

我除了寫微故事，還製作有聲書，希望我們能互相認識。

喜歡我的文章嗎？盼得到您的支持、點讚，或分享我的文章，讓我知道創作的路上有你陪伴。

Besides writing micro-stories, I also create audiobooks. I hope we can get to know each other.

Do you like my stories? I hope to have your support, likes, or shares. Let me know that you are with me on this creative journey.

關於我 /About me ：https://tonkabean.me/

故事選集 / Story Collection

https://tonkabean2016.blogspot.com/

https://matters.town/@tonkabean/collections

微故事: 早餐前的早餐 (東加豆)/Micro-story: Breakfast Before Breakfast (by Tonkabean)

微故事: 早餐前的早餐 (東加豆)

 

離婚後，阿米的世界只剩下兩種顏色。他每天走進同一家咖啡館，點一碗燕麥粥和一杯脫因咖啡。菜單上其他的菜式、誘人的圖片都像灰塵般模糊。他只知道：吃了就有氣力，有了氣力就能上班，上班了就有錢。

直到某天，他鼓起勇氣，參加了他一直瞧不起的大笑瑜伽。

為什麼阿米會瞧不起大笑瑜伽？他自己都不知道，也許是一大堆人自己和自己哈哈大笑，像什麼樣？

為什麼他現在又想參加大笑瑜伽？他想，全世界一百幾十個國家，那些數不清的數字，難道那些人會是傻的嗎？不可能的。

他帶著幾分荒謬的妥協，接著打開視頻參與線上課堂，跟著帶領員大家 Ho Ho Ha Ha，抬起雙手，伸展身體。阿米覺得冇所謂，隔著屏幕，有沒有發出聲音都沒有人會知道的。這種心態真不好，但他依然每天參與線上大笑活動。

日復一日，某天他突然很想大笑，然後他真的爆笑了，他分不出真假，也懶得管，因為課堂說大腦對笑沒有測謊功能，真假都照單全收，身體照樣療癒。

阿米終於感受到，自己和方格裡的同學們，正做著同款表情、同款弧度，像一群散落各地的鏡像。在笑聲裡，胸腔空了又滿，直到橫膈膜劇烈震盪過後，像被重新洗滌。這種（呼出廢氣）的過程，讓他覺得自己不再只是機械地呼吸，而是重新獲得一個身體。

幾天後，他再次坐在咖啡館。當湯匙舀起燕麥粥，他竟嚐到一絲蜜糖的甜。他低頭一看，果然多了一勺蜜糖。他不記得自己加過，也不確定是不是手誤。或許，是身體替他做了決定。那一刻，他看著面前的一碗糊狀物，不再淡而無味。原來，當你願意（笑），生活的感知也會悄然改變，內心被編寫的程序，彷彿被系統洗刷了一遍。

阿米差點想低頭問那碗燕麥粥，是否一直等待這場笑聲降臨。但念頭才到喉嚨，他就吞回去了——算啦，剛才笑那三十秒，已經讓斜對面那桌幾個女人交頭接耳，要是再對著一碗糊狀物深情款款，她們大概會直接幫他預約精神科。

年復一年，阿米的身體的確好轉了，心情也平穩了許多。但前妻沒有回來，工作沒有升職，世界也沒有因此變得不一樣。他只是每天清晨先做完一場暢快淋漓的大笑瑜伽，讓乾涸的心靈先飽餐一頓，才開始一天的第一頓固體食物。

他只不過是，不僅能嚐到一碗燕麥粥的味道，還會在意餐牌上其他早餐。

完

 

Micro-story: Breakfast Before Breakfast (by Tonkabean)

 

After his divorce, Ah mi’s world was reduced to just two colors. Every day, he walked into the same café and ordered a bowl of oatmeal and a cup of decaf coffee. Other items on the menu and their tempting pictures were as blurry to him as dust. He only knew one thing: eating gave him energy, energy let him work, and working brought in money.

Until one day, he gathered his courage and joined a Laughter Yoga session—something he had always looked down on.

Why did Ah mi look down on Laughter Yoga? He didn't really know himself. Maybe he thought, *what does it look like for a big crowd of people to just laugh by themselves for no reason?*

But why did he want to join now? He thought about the hundreds of countries and the countless people doing it around the world. *Could all of them be foolish? Impossible.*

With a sense of ridiculous compromise, he opened his camera and joined the online class. He followed the leader and everyone else, clapping "Ho Ho Ha Ha," raising his hands, and stretching his body. Ah mi thought it didn't matter—behind a screen, no one would know if he actually made a sound or not. It wasn’t a great attitude, but he still showed up to the online laughter sessions every day.

Day after day passed. Then one day, he suddenly felt a strong urge to laugh, and he burst into real, hearty laughter. He couldn't tell if it was fake or real, and he didn't care to figure it out. The class had taught him that the brain has no lie detector for laughter; it accepts both real and fake, and the body heals just the same.

Ah mi finally felt that he and his classmates in the screen squares were making the exact same expressions, their smiles curving at the exact same angle, like a group of mirrors scattered across the world. In the midst of the laughter, his chest emptied and filled again. After his diaphragm vibrated intensely, he felt completely washed clean. This process of breathing out the stale air made him feel like he was no longer just breathing mechanically, but truly reclaiming his body.

A few days later, he was sitting in the café again. As his spoon scooped up the oatmeal, he actually tasted a hint of honeyed sweetness. He looked down and saw an extra spoonful of honey in his bowl. He didn't remember adding it, nor was he sure if it was an accident. Perhaps, his body had made the choice for him. At that moment, looking at the bowl of mush in front of him, it was no longer tasteless. It turned out that when you are willing to laugh, your perception of life quietly changes. The old programs running in your mind feel as if they have been completely reset by the system.

Ah mi almost wanted to look down and ask the oatmeal if it had been waiting for this laughter to arrive. But the moment the thought reached his throat, he swallowed it back. *Forget it,* he thought. *Just laughing for thirty seconds earlier had already made the women at the next table whisper to each other. If I start staring passionately at a bowl of mush, they’ll probably call the psychiatric clinic for me right away.*

Years went by. Ah mi's physical health did improve, and his mood became much steadier. But his ex-wife didn't come back, he didn't get a promotion at work, and the world didn't magically change because of it. He simply practiced a hearty session of Laughter Yoga every morning, letting his dry soul feast first, before starting his first solid meal of the day.

The only difference was, he could now taste the flavor of his oatmeal—and he had finally started to care about the other breakfast choices on the menu.

End

日期 Date：21 Sept 2026

圖 Illustration: 人工智豆 (Ai-Bean)

文 Written by: 東加豆 (Tonkabean)

我除了寫微故事，還製作有聲書，希望我們能互相認識。

喜歡我的文章嗎？盼得到您的支持、點讚，或分享我的文章，讓我知道創作的路上有你陪伴。

Besides writing micro-stories, I also create audiobooks. I hope we can get to know each other.

Do you like my stories? I hope to have your support, likes, or shares. Let me know that you are with me on this creative journey.

關於我 /About me ：https://tonkabean.me/

故事選集 / Story Collection

https://tonkabean2016.blogspot.com/

https://matters.town/@tonkabean/collections

微故事: 當獅子遇上愛情 (東加豆) / When a Lion Falls in Love (by Tonkabean)

微故事: 當獅子遇上愛情 (東加豆)

從前，有隻雄霸山林的獅王，愛上了一座果園主人唯一的女兒。那女孩常在月光下唱歌，獅王聽得如痴如醉，終於鼓起勇氣上門求親。

果農嚇壞了，卻不敢當面拒絕。他顫聲說："大王，我女兒膽子小，最怕你那鋒利的爪子。你若肯把爪子剪掉，我就考慮看看。"

獅王為了愛情，二話不說就把爪子全剪了。

幾日後，獅子又來提親。果農看了看牠，又說："還是不行，你那牙齒太尖了，我女兒見了會發抖。你把它拔掉吧!我立刻把女兒嫁給你。"

沒有人會想到這頭凶猛的獅子，二話不說就把鋒利的牙齒拔掉，就是為了（愛情）這個詞。

果農見牠沒了爪也沒了牙，知道牠暫時傷不了人，便說："好吧，你進來，我把女兒叫出來。"

獅王滿心期待、毫無防備地走進果園。這時果農迅速抄起一根粗木棍，一棍一棍地朝牠身上狠狠揮去。

獅王想抓，抓不住；想咬，咬不動。按常理，大腦此時該啟動（戰鬥或逃跑）機制。可牠沒了武器，逃也無路。在痛楚與背叛感交織中，這隻百獸之王突然張大嘴巴，伸出舌頭，雙手懸空如爪，發出了響亮的咆哮聲，繼而化作一陣瘋狂的腹式大笑。

果農的木棍懸在半空，徹底懵了。他不知道，獅王正經歷著大笑瑜伽所說的（身體動作引發心理情感）的轉化。當心靈承受巨大創傷，那強行的身體律動反而繞過了認知系統，直接用最劇烈的方式把一切吐出來。沒理由，不需要理由。

一頭沒牙沒爪的獅子，在滿園月光下，對著施暴者搖頭擺尾，獅子後來怎樣呢？

當然是平安無事。不然，我們又怎會天天做獅子大笑呢？

*這個故事有一部分是我自己創作的，靈感來自一個經典童話。

完

 

Micro-story: When a Lion Falls in Love (by Tonkabean)

 

Once upon a time, there was a mighty lion king who ruled the forest. He fell deeply in love with the only daughter of an orchard owner. The girl often sang under the moonlight, and her voice enchanted the lion. Finally, he gathered his courage, went to her house, and asked for her hand in marriage.

The farmer was terrified, but he didn't dare to say no to his face. Trembling, he said, "Your Majesty, my daughter is very timid. She is scared of your sharp claws. If you are willing to clip them off, I will consider it."

For the sake of love, the lion clipped off all his claws without a second thought.

A few days later, the lion came back to propose again. The farmer looked at him and said, "Still no. Your teeth are too sharp; they make my daughter shake with fear. Pull them out, and I will marry her to you right away!"

Nobody would have ever thought that this fierce lion would pull out all his sharp teeth without hesitation, just for that one word—**Love**.

Seeing that the lion now had no claws and no teeth, the farmer knew he was harmless. He said, "Alright, come on in. I will call my daughter out."

Full of hope and completely off guard, the lion walked into the orchard. Suddenly, the farmer grabbed a thick wooden stick and began to beat him, blow after blow, with all his might.

The lion wanted to scratch, but he couldn't. He wanted to bite, but he couldn't. Normally, his brain should have triggered the **"fight or flight"** response. But he had no weapons left, and there was nowhere to run. Trapped in a mix of intense pain and betrayal, the King of Beasts suddenly opened his mouth wide, stuck out his tongue, raised his paws in the air, and let out a loud roar—which instantly turned into a wild burst of belly laughter.

The farmer froze, his stick hanging in mid-air. He was completely bewildered. He didn't know that the lion was experiencing what we call in Laughter Yoga: the powerful connection where "bodily expression generates emotion." When the mind suffers a huge trauma, the forced physical movement of the body, bypasses the cognitive thought system. It allows the body to release and throw everything out in the most intense way. No reason, no conditions needed.

Under the moonlit orchard, a lion with no teeth and no claws wagged his tail and shook his head, laughing so hard that tears streamed down his face. What happened to the lion afterwards?

Of course, he was completely fine! Otherwise, how could we all be doing the "Lion Laughter" every single day?

*This story is partly my own creation, inspired by a classic fairy tale.

End

日期 Date：14 Sept 2026

圖 Illustration: 人工智豆 (Ai-Bean)

文 Written by: 東加豆 (Tonkabean)

我除了寫微故事，還製作有聲書，希望我們能互相認識。

喜歡我的文章嗎？盼得到您的支持、點讚，或分享我的文章，讓我知道創作的路上有你陪伴。

Besides writing micro-stories, I also create audiobooks. I hope we can get to know each other.

Do you like my stories? I hope to have your support, likes, or shares. Let me know that you are with me on this creative journey.

關於我 /About me ：https://tonkabean.me/

故事選集 / Story Collection

https://tonkabean2016.blogspot.com/

https://matters.town/@tonkabean/collections

微故事: 阿強的橫膈膜 (東加豆) / Micro-story: Ah Keung's Diaphragm (by Tonkabean)

微故事: 阿強的橫膈膜 (東加豆)

阿強是個出名悲觀的人，說話又直接。太太阿珍出差前，塞給他一本大笑瑜伽手冊，說："遇到壞事時，試試笑。筆記說，身體分不清真笑假笑，笑著笑著，想法就會跟上。"

第三天，阿珍從印度打來電話："老公，屋頂那盆太陽花還好嗎？"

阿強說: "全部太陽花死了!"

阿珍又生氣又難過，太陽花死得突然，丈夫說話又那麼直接，早知還是放回露台吧!屋頂，屋頂，屋頂從來都是危險之地。過了半天，平靜過後阿珍又生氣，她對丈夫說："難道從來都沒人教過你說話的藝術嗎？你說話不能婉轉一點嗎？

阿強不解地問: "事實就是太陽花了，這還能怎麼說呢？"

阿珍深深吸一口氣，然後長長地呼氣說：“你可以一步一步告訴我啊。比如說，你先告訴我太陽花搬到屋頂曬太陽了。等我到了德里，你再說它曬太久開始發黃了。等我到了孟買，你再說它已經枯萎了。這樣我至少有個心理準備。"

"你學了大笑瑜伽，Ho Ho一秒半也好，至少給自己時間想清楚，不要一開口就殺死盆花。" 阿珍繼續說。

又過了半天，即是晚上，阿強打電話給阿珍說："今天太陽花搬到屋頂曬太陽了。"

"妳現在到了德里是嗎？...太陽花曬太久了...開始發黃。"

接著，阿珍聽不清楚阿強在說什麼，只聽到電話傳來一陣陣的由喉嚨發出的 Ho Ho Ha Ha...。

阿強連忙說："不好意思...不好意思...因為腹部突然收縮，他的身體搶先笑，橫膈膜自己動了。"

阿珍說："我明白...我明白，導師筆記第十五章（笑聲與壓力：生理上的對立）——當橫膈膜劇烈震盪時，交感神經會被切換到副交感神經，意思是，即使你不想笑，身體也會自己選。而且，你先選擇了笑！對的，對的，我明，我明。

阿強說："我想解釋太陽花的事，但還沒開口，笑聲就搶先跑出來。我越急，身體越不聽話；太陽花…Ho Ho…死了…Ha Ha！"

霎時間，阿珍沒有再為太陽花而生氣，因為阿強的笑聲彷彿生出了太陽花。

阿珍拿著電話，等。

她忽然問："我媽呢？她昨天說來我家為太陽花澆水。"

阿強張開嘴說："妳媽說天氣好，走上屋頂去了。"

完

 

Micro-story: Ah Keung's Diaphragm (by Tonkabean)

 

Ah Keung was known for being a pessimist who spoke too directly. Before his wife Ah Jane left on a business trip, she handed him a Laughter Yoga manual and said: "When something bad happens, try laughing. The manual says the body can't tell the difference between real laughter and fake laughter. Laugh, and the thoughts will follow."

Three days later, Ah Jane called from India: "Honey, how are the sunflowers on the roof?"

Ah Keung said: "All the sunflowers are dead!"

Ah Jane was angry and sad. The sunflowers died suddenly, and her husband was so blunt. She should have left them on the balcony. The roof, the roof, the roof was always a dangerous place. After a while, Ah Jane got angry again and said to her husband: "Has no one ever taught you how to speak? Can't you be a little more tactful?"

Ah Keung asked: "The truth is the sunflowers are dead. What else can I say?"

Ah Jane took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, then said: "You could tell me step by step. First, you could tell me the sunflowers were moved to the roof to get some sun. When I get to Delhi, you could tell me they were turning yellow from too much sun. When I get to Mumbai, you could tell me they had withered. That way, I'd at least have some warning."

"You've learned Laughter Yoga. Even half a second of Ho Ho would give you time to think before speaking. Don't kill the flowers with your first sentence," Ah Jane continued.

Later that evening, Ah Keung called Ah Jane and said: "The sunflowers were moved to the roof to get some sun today."

"Are you in Delhi now?... The sunflowers got too much sun... they're starting to turn yellow."

Then Ah Jane couldn't make out what Ah Keung was saying. All she heard was a series of Ho Ho Ha Ha coming from his throat through the phone.

Ah Keung quickly said: "Sorry... sorry... My abdomen suddenly contracted and my body laughed first. My diaphragm moved on its own."

Ah Jane said: "I understand... I understand. Teacher's notes, Chapter 15 — when the diaphragm vibrates intensely, the sympathetic nervous system switches to the parasympathetic nervous system. It means even if you don't want to laugh, your body will choose to. And you chose laughter first! Yes, yes, I understand."

Ah Keung said: "I wanted to explain about the sunflowers, but the laugh came out before I could speak. The more I tried to control it, the more my body wouldn't listen. The sunflowers... Ho Ho... are dead... Ha Ha!"

Suddenly, Ah Jane stopped being angry about the sunflowers. Ah Keung's laughter seemed to have given birth to new sunflowers.

Ah Jane held the phone and waited.

She suddenly asked: "What about my mother? She said she was coming to water the sunflowers yesterday."

Ah Keung opened his mouth and said: "Your mother said the weather was nice, so she went up to the roof."

End

日期 Date：24 August 2026

圖 Illustration: 人工智豆 (Ai-Bean)

文 Written by: 東加豆 (Tonkabean)

我除了寫微故事，還製作有聲書，希望我們能互相認識。

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Besides writing micro-stories, I also create audiobooks. I hope we can get to know each other.

Do you like my stories? I hope to have your support, likes, or shares. Let me know that you are with me on this creative journey.

關於我 /About me ：https://tonkabean.me/

故事選集 / Story Collection

https://tonkabean2016.blogspot.com/

https://matters.town/@tonkabean/collections