There is so much to laugh at in this world...
I have been cramming in the continuing education training lately and I am taking an online course. I have taken this course before, but I didn't recognize the humor the last time. As I flipped through the screens I found myself wondering who wrote this? Not the "who" exactly, but the personality behind the "who". The course is on loan fraud, NOT a laughing matter, but they used words like "scurrilous" in reference to lenders and terms like "take you to the cleaners" or "dampen your doorstep" or "money is a commodity like potatoes"...I found it pretty funny as I started to really pay attention. Who would write a professional training using such biased, comical statements. Anyway, maybe this is only funny to me, but pay attention in your everyday activities, you might be surprised how much humor is to be found.
My family sort of prides itself on being sarcastic and good humored. My Aunt Diane has said she is NEVER sarcastic as it only leads to hurt feelings (cue the rolling eye laugh). Then tonight I looked up "sarcastic" in the dictionary. Sarcasm: bitter or wounding remark, taunt esp. ironically worded. Sarcastic: scornful, derisive, mocking, ridiculing, scathing...WHOOPS! Guess Aunt D was right.
One of my friends from high school was visiting recently and she made a VERY sarcastic remark to me at dinner one night and it made me feel REALLY STUPID. I was taken aback and remember thinking..."Hey, I am not stupid. Why do I feel stupid". It was no big deal, but I did get some great insight into my own humor strategies. I learned I should be thoughtful in humor at others expense because even if I don't mean to hurt someones feelings, it can still be damaging. I REALLY LOVE SARCASM...and doubt this is something I can let go of completely, but I do want to work on it. There are so many OTHER kinds of humor.
How many different kinds of laughs are there? The belly laugh (my favorite), the crying laugh, the chuckle, the roll your eyes laugh, the smirk, the bark, the snort (lots of animal sounding laughs actually), the snicker, the trying your hardest NOT to laugh, the nervous laugh, the fake laugh (least favorite), the after laugh sigh, the silent laugh, the I can't breathe laugh...What did I forget?
The moments after a good laugh always make me feel the same as I do after a good cleansing cry or sneeze...only lighter. The best laugh of all is the catching laugh. My husband jokes all the time and we laugh a lot, but I love it when he REALLY laughs hard. He doesn't do it often, but MAN I love to laugh when he does. A genuine belly laugh is so catching. I am going to look for one of those this week.
I Am Grateful,
HB
I agree, nothing feels better than the time right after a good laugh. It is so satisfying. It is fun to sit and ponder what was so funny over again as you bask in the glow. Sadly, I am not much of a laugher though. I wish I was. It takes something pretty sweet to give me one of those laughs. They do come, just not nearly as often as I would like. I did actually have one this morning though, Kevin was reenacting his perception of how I acted last night when we had our latest visitor. That was pretty funny.....not at all accurate, but funny.
ReplyDeleteI too am not much of a laugher. I tend to be more serious. I wish I was a little more lighthearted. But I do love a good laugh and I especially love to see my children and spouse laugh. Hope I wasn't the friend you were talking about. If so I am so sorry.
ReplyDeleteLori giggles...I can't believe I neglected "the Giggle" up above. It is different then the chuckle...:)
ReplyDeleteNO - the meanie pants from high school was PASCOE!! I REALLY meant that it was NO BIG DEAL, but it just helped me realize how I am most of the time. You are one of the nicest people I know. If you are sarcastic it is usually toward situations, not people.
Thanks Lori - HB
M: What "latest visitor" - explain please.
Thanks for the comment and the email. Now you start a blog so I can read yours!!
That's awesome about your training.. If your going to learn and relearn the same stuff each yr, why now make it fun! That person rules!.. Speaking of laughing, golden and I get going a lot of the time. We are most always teasing w/each other and Golden is by far the wittiest person I know. I think that is the difference between being cruel and just brilliantly funny.. if you're making fun of someone at their expense, or are you amusingly clever.. I do not find mean people funny at all.. just lame!
ReplyDeleteAh yes, therein lies the trick...I might think I am being brilliantly funny and just joking around and the other person might take it literally or seriously. I have a friend that I actually call my "literal friend". It took us some time in the beginning to figure each other out until we found our common "humor" ground.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that you and Golden are both extremely witty. Since you are on right now, I assume I can expect a new post from you soon?
Love ya,
HB