There’s an old saying,
Laugh and the world laughs with you. Cry and you
cry alone.
I don’t believe it. I know plenty of caring people who are quick to help people who are feeling down. I also know people who dismiss people who laugh a lot as being completely brainless.
And even when people do laugh that doesn’t mean they will laugh with you. As gaelikaa points out in her recent post on humor, people don’t always laugh at the same things. I’ve been lucky that way. I can still remember silly incidents from when I was a kid that my mother and I laughed about for years.
I also remember an incident that happened when my husband and I were first married. We were on a trip to England and the highlight was being able to see Hamlet played at Stratford-upon-Avon. I had loved Hamlet when I studied it in high school and couldn’t believe my luck…until I saw the performance. The acting was so poor it was funny, especially the gal who played Ophelia. A robot could have delivered her lines more convincingly.
Then when Ophelia was saying “Oh woe is me” a loud snicker rang through the room. I was thrilled…there was a kindred spirit who felt the way I did. Yeah, sure. Everyone in the room started staring at me… I had done the snickering. That made it even funnier. It was all I could do to wait until intermission to laugh. Andy shared it with me, then I went back to the hotel while he stayed for the rest of the performance. It was a family joke for years that I had to leave in disgrace. Even now if I start to feel sorry for myself it lifts my spirits to think of that wooden voice saying, “Oh woe is me.”
Many of the things that tickle our funny bone don’t make good stories. We often say, “You have to have been there.” I think it’s more than that. You also have to have seen the incident with the same quirky sense of humor. Humor is tricky because it’s so personal.
What about you? What makes you laugh? Do you still remember funny incidents years later?
I can find humour in just about everything! It is a pity that my post on ‘humour’ has not yet appeared, but please wait a while and read it. You will see what I mean.
hehehehee Im blessed with a family that taught me laughter and humor.. and.. occasionally I get paid for it.. this.. is me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0FULHGwPkw
well, I suppose the only thing I could do today when something rather unusual occured with the cooked rice was to laugh!
yesterday, I cooked a cup of raw rice which makes aroundabout 4cups…I found a china type bowl (at my friends’ home, that I am housesitting) and put it all in the fridge for future use.
this morning, I was making my lunch which actually was enough but suddenly I remembered the rice and thought to bulk it out a bit (the lunch). I retrieved from fridge #2 and then discovered that is was completely frozen. NOTE: this was not the freezer section of the fridge!
Or course, it couldn’t be added š I was astounded as I had other things on that shelf in the fridge and none of them had frozen.
So I retrieved all of my food items from that fridge, juggled things around in the other smaller fridge etc…I have spent the rest of the day dealing with rice as it has slowly defrosted. As I speak 1/2 of it has made it to the smaller fridge
I would have loved to have my digital camera here today to record this interesting problem but I haven’t left here yet to get it…and by then all will have been eaten!
.-= cathy in NZĀ“s last blog ..traditional return to city day! =-.
PG Wodehouse, especially the Bertie and Jeeves books. Peter Cook.
As to incidents, I’m not sure what it is that makes the funny ones funny.
.-= EvanĀ“s last blog ..A Simple Way to Help You Make Decisions =-.
My friend and I were once at a concert and one of the songs had the line “I’m sinking, I’m dying..” My friend turned to me and said “that sounds like a great idea!” And we both laughed our heads off……funny how some people can see humour in something like that. I can’t understand it myself sometimes…..
.-= gaelikaaĀ“s last blog ..Humour – What Makes One Laugh….. =-.
Jean, there has been so much talk about humour and laughter in the last few days on various interlinked blogs I am ready to cry. Please do pass me the tissues.
And then there are ‘the giggles’: Do you ever get those?
One observation, not to be taken lightly: The line between laughter and crying is a very fine one. Two sides of the same coin.
You say ‘cry and you cry alone’. Leaving aside that that is not my experience in life what’s wrong with being alone? It’s great.
To avoid confusion as to my last statement: “The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary” (which weighs a ton) will point out that ‘being alone’ is not to be confused with ‘being lonely’.
I am insufferable, I know.
U
U. You aren’t insufferable. You’re adorable!
Don’t know what’s funny to some, not to others. I know I see the humor later, after I was horrified when it happened.
Rummuser,
To me living without humor is like running a machine without oil. It doesn’t work as well and doesn’t last as long.
Yes, I will read your post when it comes out.
David,
Thank you! That’s my kind of humor. I looked at a couple of others and liked this one (about a party) even better: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddZo9GEAUrg&NR=1
One of my Christmas presents to my daughter was Don’t Be Such a Scientist and this video about the party captured the idea perfectly. I’m sending the link to her.
Cathy,
That happened to me with pea soup in my refrigerator lately… for some reason it froze. Nothing else did. I tried lowering the thermostat but then my freezing compartment didn’t get cold enough. So I’m trying to notice what I put in that particular spot. I agree that laughing or getting curious is the best response.
Evan,
I don’t know why some things are so funny either. All I know is my mother and I were on the same wavelength and managed to crack one another up by saying/doing the simplest things.
gaelikaa,
That’s the sort of thing that would crack my mother and me up. I thought your post was right on, that’s why I wrote this one. I figure getting our funny bones tickled is a gift from the gods. We don’t have to analyze it, we can just accept it graciously and enjoy it.
Ursula,
I enjoy my alone time too. š
The nice thing about the internet is we can’t and don’t have to read everything that passes our way. We can pick and choose. What would you rather read about?
“The line between laughter and crying is a very fine one. Two sides of the same coin.” Sure, both are emotional arousal. That’s why little kids can be deliriously happy one moment and in tears the next. Dogs are similar, enthusiastic play can easily turn into a fight. Wise adults tune into the emotional level and dial it down a notch if it looks like it’s getting too high. Unfortunately they haven’t solved the problem of how to avoid riots after highly charged sports events.
About the giggles. That’s what my mother and I used to do. Something small would trigger us off and we would giggle away. My sister was horrified and wouldn’t walk down the street with us. Presumably you would have kept far away too? š
bikehikebabe,
You pass on a lot of humorous e-mail messages. As I recall some people are occasionally offended even when other people think the joke is hilarious. Not all of them resonate with me but my life would be poorer without them. When Andy and I laugh out loud we pass them on to friends who might laugh too. Thank you!
Yes, Bike Hike Babe, how often do we say: “It wasn’t funny at the time …” only to then launch into telling a hilarious anecdote. As Ramana would put it “laughter with hindsight”.
One thing I have noticed that no one has yet covered the questionable “last laugh”.
U
Jean, now who is serious?
U
Ursula,
š I’m afraid I’m the insufferable one…I’m trying to train myself to see the humor at the time. When things happen now I think of how I can turn it into a blog post. It magically changes my perspective.
“…now who is serious?” I agree with Shaw, “Life does not cease to be funny when people die any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh.”
I just made this comment on Ursula’s latest post:
David,
The party video gave me a new line to use if/when anyone rains on my parade: “Why don’t you just pop all the balloons and spit in the punch?” Hopefully they would ask for an explanation but no big deal if they don’t. š
My husband just came home and I showed the video to him. He burst out laughing too. My daughter will probably have the same reaction. She has a great sense of humor and people skills.
hey Jean ! I know sometimes all I can do is laugh at a situation. Like some fight me and my friend would have about something silly and then years later we’re like “Oh God…. ” =)
Rocky,
I think we’ve all experienced that. š
Hi Jean! Laughter is good medicine – I take it daily as much as I can. I laugh so much that I can’t even tell you what exactly it is that MAKES me laugh. A lot lately has been senility snafus that hubs and I have – and always my little dog, Mr. Entertainment! The older I get, the more childlike I become. That’s fine with me! It’s a good life!
suzen,
My husband and I laugh a lot about getting older. And when people ask me what I’m doing I say “Enjoying my second childhood even more that the first one.” It sounds as if we’re both on the same wavelength. š
Hi Jean,
It’s a lovely picture you post here and remind me of all the fun and laughing time i have when teaching the kids…
They are the best laughers and I love being with them…I love when they pretend to be adults or do mimics just like us…great insights
I am naturally a happy person and laugh is my song…with high pitch!!!! My mum or family always say to try and control, but life made me that way…and so happy i can laugh out loud(lol)…
It’s so refreshing and give you good sensation…even if sometimes not everybody join in…
I love watching funny movies and laugh out…
Believe that laugh with life is good inspiration and open up your creative channels…
.-= DanielleĀ“s last blog ..Love Intention =-.
Danielle,
Thank you so much for coming by!
my sister makes me laugh shes so funny she cracks me up and sometimes i laugh to myself when i think of her …i love her ?
i seriously have a laughing [problem i laugh at everythingg:)