Laugh ‘til Your Tummy Hurts
Canadian Man, shedding briefcase and jacket, sinks with a sigh into his beloved recliner after work. I’m giggling as I hand him a cup of steaming coffee and give him a welcome-home kiss. “Guess what I did today?” I chortle.
Chuckling harder, I manage to spit out, “Nope. Listen!
“I had an appointment today, and…” I’m laughing enough that I can barely talk. “And…and…” It’s hard to finish a sentence.
Canadian Man looks at me quizzically, waiting for the story to unfold. It must be a good one!
“I’ve got to turn by the church, right? You know, to cut across to Dassel? And…,” I burst into another convulsion of laughter, “and…” I manage to force it out, “I went sailing past my turn!”
Canadian Man chuckles as I continue, “So, I turned around to go back,” I sputter, “and, I’m so deep in thought that I missed it again!”
“Oh boy, says Canadian Man, “Rough day, huh?” I’m laughing so hard tears are rolling down my cheeks.
“Listen!” I snort, “I turned around for the second time, and…I…I missed….I missed…” I stop to catch my breath, “I missed the turn for the third time!!” I howl with laughter and look over at Hubby.
All evidence of mirth is erased from his face. He stares at me with the strangest look on his face. His eyes wide, he questions, “Do you…do you…do this often?”
Well…now that you ask…haha!
I’m quite well-known for goofy gaffs. Read another story of a classic brain burp that’s even more incredible than the one above! Go to “I Am Elaine” on this blog to read about the daughter I forgot to pick up three times in one evening!
Have you ever forgotten your child’s name? I’m checking in at the clinic for an appointment for my newest babykins. I’m digging for my insurance card when the receptionist asks, “Baby’s name?” My fingers dangle feebly in my purse as I ponder. What is my baby’s name? I scrunch my forehead and try jumpstart my post baby coma-brain. Oh gosh, how embarrassing. “Baby’s name?” repeats the lady, peering over the counter. “Uummm,” I stutter, face tomato-red and sweaty with post-partum hot flashes and awkwardness. Counter Lady eyes me pitifully and says, “Don’t worry. Just tell me when you figure it out.”
I could write a book about my many other forgetful foibles. “Oh, Elaine!” my friends hee-haw, “You’re such a hoot!” giggles bubbling like 7-Up as I share another ditzy moment.
For years I thought I didn’t need to write it down; I’ll remember. Are you kidding? I have a handy-dandy phone now to enter important things. Appointments go on the calendar with a reminder notice popping up a day or hour before. Problem solved, right? Well…maybe for most people. I realize we are low on toilet paper and want to add that to the shopping list. I grab my phone, awaken it, and open the app and stop, stymied and puzzled as to what I wanted to type in to remember. It’s completely gone, flitting away like a frightened chickadee.
Alzheimer's? Perhaps. One consolation is that I’ve been this way for 40 years, and I don’t think it’s gotten much worse, so…
When my kiddos grew older, I decided to focus on self-help. The local community flyer advertised a class on “Organizing Your Life.” Perfect!! I signed up immediately and paid the fee.
Sometime later I was hit with a bolt of realization. Oh, my goodness, I signed up for a class on organizing my life and forgot to go! Who does that??
Me! I do that! Hahahahaha!
Laughter is the best medicine, they say. If so, I should be the healthiest woman around. How lucky for me to be able to laugh at myself because I have no end of occasions to get healthy! Laughter kept me sane in the midst of insanity, was a release valve for stress and brought those feel-good endorphins to a feeling-good level.
My kids will never let me live down the time when I bragged that a certain restaurant has the Best Ribs Ever only to have one of them try to order them. There weren’t any ribs on the menu. “Haha, Mom,” they say when we head out to eat, “are you going to get the Best Ribs again? Haha!” I love the shared chuckles even though it’s at my expense!
It isn’t polite to laugh at someone. We laugh at someone behind the walls of our hands or behind their back. We feel rejected if we are the object of snickers and smirks, but laughing together creates connection, memories, and draws us in instead of shutting us out. Everything changes if we can be vulnerable and laugh at ourselves!
When life brings anxiety and stress, laughter can act like a stress-release valve. Our children and their families were seated at Grandma’s funeral waiting for our turn, after my siblings and their families, to say our private good-byes before the casket was closed. It was an emotional moment, and we were frequently wiping eyes and noses. I felt a tap on my shoulder and heard a whispered, “Mom! Look!” I turned to see a bench lined with daughters with racoon-eyes and noses of the most beautiful shade of blue. What in the world?? Someone passed out blue tissues to mop up tears and snot, but the blue ink painted silly-looking masks on various faces! We all lost it, and the entire family was shaking with uncontrollable laughter while the siblings’ families looked over their shoulders with looks of aghast disapproval! The timing was socially terrible, but it was like releasing a firehose of emotions, and we all felt lighter when it was done. A hearty laugh is the best form of therapy. And best of all, it’s free!
As Winnie-the-Pooh says, “Laughter and friendship will cure just about anything.” God created laughter for a very good reason. So, laugh ‘til your tummy hurts, and your life will be so much richer! Even if it is at yourself. Others will surely laugh anyway, so you might as well join in and make your day so much brighter!
