Jim’s Wife
I love to laugh. I know, everyone says that. There is nothing better than a good old belly laugh that takes your breath away and has tears running down your face. When you have one of those laughs don’t you think, “Huh I don’t know why that hit me as so funny?” It is those unexpected moments that I love.
Nowadays with the social media and social distancing, we don’t have a lot of one- on-one with each other. I think the “LOL” laughing out loud icon has become over-utilized. I know I have a tendency to throw it out there pretty generously.
I read something that is humorous and I answer with LOL. I did not really laugh out loud; I grinned. Where is the icon for grinning? Or smirking? There is that yellow-face fellow that is laughing with tears coming out his eyes. I use that one too – I lie; I usually am not laughing to the point of tears.
What makes you laugh out loud? Humor is subjective. What is funny to some is not to others. I am that friend who would protect you with my life but if you fall down in public, as I am helping you up, I am laughing so hard we will both probably end up on the ground.
Put me in a serious situation where laughing would be the most inappropriate thing, and you can bet I will find something funny. The worst is when you make eye contact with someone that you know is thinking the same thing and then you have to hold your breath to keep from laughing out loud and you have to turn your gasp into a cough. We have all been there, at a somber time and you hear coughing and I’m looking around trying to find who is trying not to laugh.
Jim is a hoot. I fell in love with him because he had me laughing when we first met, and he has kept me laughing ever since. We feed off each other. In some of our hardest times and serious fights one of us can get the other to laughing.
I grew up in a household that loves to laugh. Thinking back now. I’m not sure it was on purpose, but laughter is usually a part of all of our communication. A lot done in self-deprecation. I like when you don’t take yourself too seriously. I have not met the person yet that is so precious that they can’t make fun of themselves. That said, you can make fun of yourself, but I do not like humor that makes fun of someone else. Whether they be famous or not, I do not care for humor at someone else’s expense.
I can remember growing up we would watch those old comics. I remember Red Skeleton, Lucille Ball, Flip Wilson, Tim Conway and Carol Burnett. Watch You-Tube of some of their stuff. I loved Chris Farley and David Spade together. These are funny people.
I appreciate a good laugh and I want to think that the lines on my face come from laughter and not that I’m just old. I want those crows feet around my eyes to stand out because I’m laughing so hard my face squinches up.
I want to be able to use the “LOL” with good consciousness. But in the alternative, I think we need to start responding appropriately with a “phft” or a snort.
THIS ARTICLE WAS PUBLISHED IN THE August 21 ISSUE OF FOCUS SB - THE INQUISITOR.