Maggie’s husband was very sick and slipping in and out of consciousness. Maggie waited on him and kept his bedside throughout his sickness. One day, when her husband had regained consciousness, he beckoned for Maggie to come close to him so that he could tell her something.
“Maggie, you have never left me no matter how rough things got. You stood by me when I lost my job, you held my hand when my parents died, and you were at my side even when we lost the house. Even now, when I’m so sick, you are here with me. Do you know what I think?”
Maggie smiled softly. “What’s that?”
“I think you’re bad luck.”
—Laughter Therapy
I cheerfully admit I didn’t see that ending coming. What do you think Maggie’s response should be?
March 6, 2015
If I were to be in her position, it would be, “You are a sick so and so husband!”
I imagine it would be quite a shock to hear the ingratitude.
It’s an awful story.
And, uncannily, reminds me of a friendly acquaintance of mine. Someone, and I am not proud of myself, I rather keep at arm’s length. Obviously, on a rational level, it’s not his fault his father committed suicide and was found dangling from the ceiling by my then rather young friend, that he himself killed someone when driving not that long ago, marriages breaking up, but there comes a time you’d rather approach him with as many cloves of garlic and as heavy a cross as you can carry to ward off whatever evil is following those in his vicinity. Not that I’d ever forsake anyone to whom back luck sticks like tarmac. I am just careful whenever I cross the road with him.
I bet in the olden days, medieval times, he’d have been burnt by now. Particularly if he were a woman.
Instead of which, like any good old Stoic, he takes his life in his stride, is of a sunny, indeed charming disposition and notches it all up to life’s experiences. Unperturbed. Which is eerie in itself.
U
I laughed out loud at the joke. Your friend is amazing that he can keep cheerful in spite of everything.
Was he cheerful or acting cheerful, we don’t know. Maybe it doesn’t matter. It matters that he appeared cheerful. Sometimes you can convince yourself, it’s said.
Remember the song: Put on a Happy Face.
Gray skies are gonna clear up,
Put on a happy face;
Brush off the clouds and cheer up,
Put on a happy face.
But if you found your father hanging, you recently killed someone with your car, & you, with your smiling face. You might be thought of as heartless. Heartless but not pitied.
You laughed at that joke, Jean. And I can see the teasing humour in there. The same that drove one of my friends to tears when her husband (of a rather robust nature) paid her compliments so awful, yet so well meant.
BHB, you made the most important distinction between appearance (facade) and what really goes on inside. As someone in my vicinity once said, I believe it was my father: “What it looks like inside me is no one’s business but mine.” Which I do not agree with. And anyone who thinks like that I pity. And want to take them to my motherly bosom.
As to my friend I wouldn’t call him “heartless”. He clearly suffered (emotionally) a great deal at the time of various harrowing moments in his life but managed to, eventually, how does today’s psychobabble go, transcend them.
To give an example of how unpredictable the human mind/heart is and the complete opposite to the above example: A relative of mine by marriage killed a little child. She had run out on the street and there was no way he could avoid her. Destroyed the man (he had two young children himself). Took to drink. Lost everything. Dead. Those are the destinies which show us how fragile we all are in truth. Yes, fragile. Even Stoics. And let no one say any different.
U
the fact that i don’t believe in luck allowed me to laugh!
i suppose she could say …
“it takes one to know one.”
i was never very good at come-backs!
I laughed out loud, too. Then my reaction was that poor gal has a lot of thinking or inner work to do, especially if she expected her husband to be grateful. I’ve never heard/seen cases where the helper was accused of being bad luck, but I have seen cases where people were looked down upon because they were too eager to help. Needless to say, they moved on to situations where they were more appreciated.
Too funny!! I can’t think of what she should have said, but I’ll come up with something…. Maybe! 🙂 THANKS for the grin!
I LOL’d too! 😀
Do you like your bad luck?
? I don’t understand the question. I assume you’re not one of the ones who thought the joke was hilarious? As usual, OSDFA — one size doesn’t fit all.
I didn’t get notified of your reply.
My comment was in answer to your question: What do you think Maggie’s response should be?
Thanks for clarifying. I’ll try to remember to send you my replies sooner. I have no idea why the plugin doesn’t work.
I guess I read that differently because my response would be to laugh.
I would have just thought he had a dry sense of humor and thought he was funny.
I certainly laughed, but it never occurred to me that Maggie could too. I love it! What a healthy reaction.