Finding Humor

As an exercise I asked people to describe my writing in three words.  When I looked at myself, I thought most people would tell me I am funny.  But NO ONE DID.  NOT ONE PERSON described me as funny.  I had some very positive reinforcement from friends with adjectives like intelligent, personable, effective, driven, compassionate, comforting, inspirational, heroic, brilliant, intelligent and creative. But not funny.

I look for humor everywhere I go.  When I look, I find funny things all the time.  So, maybe, I am not relating that to others very well.

Humor is not being able to tell a joke… that’s a comedian.  Humor is situational.  For example, I was in the grocery store today and I attempted to get a cart for my groceries.  The carts were married together in an unbreakable union that no one could put asunder.  I jerked and tugged and pulled first one, then another, but they were stuck together.

A lady who works in the store walked over and pulled the cart free without any fanfare or trouble.  She didn’t break a sweat.  In a single motion, we achieved freedom for the cart I was bursting a blood vessel to get.  I thanked the lady for her help and walked toward the produce pushing my prize.  It had a flat tire.  The rubber came off the wheel in a perfect circle that looked like a fat rubber band.  Every time I pushed the cart forward, it ran over the remnants of the former tire and bumped along with a dull thump for every revolution of the wheel.

And another wheel squeaked.  So there I was, shopping with a grocery cart whose retread separated and was badly in need of some WD40.  Squeak, thump, squeak, thump.

So rather than getting annoyed or trying to wrestle another cart out of the prison, I spent time enjoying the squeak, thump.

For example,  last night my neighbor walked into my house.  Not an unusual occurrence because she does this 2 or 3 times every day.  She opens the door and shouts “YooWhoo.”  What made last night different is that I had already retired upstairs and my brother who sleeps in the bedroom down stairs had turned in early for the night.  But, he left the front door unlocked and so my neighbor came on in.  I went to the top of the stairs and told her I would be right down.  She replied, “Okay.  I’ve got my knife.”

Me: Whoa! Is there a reason you brought your knife and would I be safer if I stay up here?

Neighbor: I found the Swiss Army Knife I thought I had lost.

Me:  So you didn’t plan on using it?

Neighbor: Maybe.  This knife has a corkscrew and I have a bottle of wine.

Me:  Well, why didn’t you say so?

Humor is everywhere and all we have to do is look for it.  In fact, I recommend putting it on your To-Do list every day.  And make sure you check it off when you do find something humorous.