goes "Duh."
Once upon a time I wrote publicity for a local art gallery. I wasn't on the board, but attended meetings regularly - should be spelled "bored" meetings, because that's what people were. If the members weren't arguing about one thing, they were fighting about something else. No one smiled, let alone laughed. Good grief. Laugh? NEVER! This was to be taken seriously. After all there were finances to discuss and other important matters.
Excuse me, but I've never been one to sit in any meeting without finding something to laugh about and most certainly I can find something to joke about. My sense of humor is such that I can even find humor at funerals - yeah some of you are thinking how irreverent.
When the father of a former friend died, folks sat around at the wake (a morbid tradition, which I won't get into in this post) acting like they think they should whilst in mourning. I went over and talked to the deceased. He always enjoyed my sense of humor and was quite a wonderful audience. A wonderful audience to me is someone who laughs at all my jokes. HA!
It was a small room with a handful of people so, I'm sure they all heard what I said. Upon rising, I put my hand over his and said "Arden, I'll give ya this, you're a good listener." Inappropriate? Well fortunately everyone in the room laughed out loud.
Humor broke the tension; it relieved, if only for a moment, the sadness and despair of losing someone you love. When I lost someone I loved, I was heart-broken; nevertheless, when the undertakers came to retrieve the body, I seriously asked, "You're the funeral home that does taxidermy, right?"
There were several people present at the time, including a priest. When the two gentlemen from the funeral home expressed a look of confusion with dropped jaws and a wide-eyed stare, everyone laughed. I cried silently, afterward.
So, if I can find humor in death, if I can find humor in the loss of a friend or a loved one, I wonder why others can't find humor in something less serious. Like "bored" meetings. Obviously, I had an attentive audience, because I was told many times how refreshing it was to have me attend these meetings. "I look forward to attending now, because of you" or "You make me laugh so hard." I don't go out of my way to be funny, I go out of my way to make people laugh. Laughter, after all, is said to be the best medicine.
At one meeting, I was a bit over the top; however, people were enjoying the routine - or better put - the lack of routine. Well most people and it wasn't just me, it was a give and take. Even the president of the gallery was getting into it. You know when you start laughing so hard that you can't stop and the more you try to stop the harder it is to stop? Well that's what was happening. And the piece d' resistance was when the chairwoman of the bored mentioned the name Dick Blick.
Everyone's eyes shot toward me just waiting to see what I'd say. For a moment I bit my tongue and tried to suppress my laughter, but omg! Dick Blick??? In the deepest southern accent I could muster, I said, "Well, flick my blick." Everyone but the chairperson roared. She stood erect, threw her pen across the table and stormed out shouting her frustration.
Actually, I felt sorry for her and went to console her, but the meeting was over and my life at the gallery was as well. Unfortunately, even after she apologized for over-reacting, I just couldn't see myself involved with people (not even one) that couldn't see that all of life is a joke.
As dramatic as I can be at times (I was a drama major, after all) I still know that life isn't to be taken too seriously.
"Laugh and the world laughs with you, cry and you cry alone." DUH!
2 comments:
Oh, you are so correct about laughter. I have a plaque hanging in my kitchen that says "We don't stop laughing because we grow old .... We grow old because we stop laughing". It's soooo important to try and remember this fact. The majority of people do take life way too seriously. Just look at children .... they laugh all the time, and it's so great. You can't help but laugh along with them.
One of the happiest times in recent memory is when I was working with my son at his theatre with other young people. There were times when we would laugh so hard tears were rolling down our face and our stomachs hurt. I miss that. Old people are way too serious.
Thanks for comment, Anon. :)
Frankly, I think it's not only the elderly that are way too serious - although if anyone has the right to be, they do. They haven't had a cost of living raise in the last two years, because according to the powers that be, prices are stable.
HA! Excuse me, but there's been a tremendous rise in the cost of living; gas, heating, water, food, insurance, etc. Nevertheless, they make due - wish our government could do the same.
Coupled with the fact that the elderly usually have ailments that cause pain and suffering and doctors who dish out meds like candy, well that undoubtedly causes depression.
However, it's my belief that kids today (not little kids) but teens and maybe middle school aren't as happy as they were in days gone by.
There's so much pressure on them to succeed and the competition is fierce.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that other generations didn't have worries and obstacles to overcome and still managed to laugh, it just seems harder to find a reason to laugh nowadays for all ages. :(
Of course the bottom line is, if ya don't laugh, you're gonna cry. If ya gotta cry, at least try to let it be caused from laughing uncontrollably.
Thanks again for the comment and I'm sorry you had problems leaving one. I'm on my way to find out why.
Post a Comment