“I wish everything did.”
(The Big Chill, 1981)
“An old man was sitting on the examining table in the doctor’s office having his hearing checked. The doctor poked his light scope in the old man’s ear and said, ‘Hey, you have a suppository in your ear!’ ‘Rats,’ said the old man. ‘Now I know where my hearing aid went.’”
If laughter is the best medicine, I will take an I.V. drip. Laughter has tremendous benefits, particularly when it comes to health. When we laugh, “our physiology shifts.” Our blood pressure adjusts. Our body “releases endorphins”, elevating our mood. It also “reduces adrenaline and cortisol production.” With each snicker, our blood vessels relax, improving circulation. There is an incontrovertible relationship between laughter and the immune system, as well as the brain itself. Laughter “triggers the immune system, decreasing stress-related hormones and increasing resistant antibodies which help fight off disease.” Interestingly, “humour has the same influence on our sense of well-being as exercise does.” A good, hearty laugh relieves “physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes.” It reduces anxiety yet increases energy. A humorous perspective creates “psychological distance”, which can help you avoid feeling overwhelmed as well as diffusing negativity and conflict. Laughing can even relieve pain, through the release of those endorphins. I guess it is all in your head.
“While taking a clinical history from an elderly patient, I asked, ‘How’s your love life?’ ‘I don’t know,’ he said. ‘I’ll ask my wife.’ He got up, walked into the hallway where his wife was sitting, and shouted, ‘Hey, the doctor wants to know if we still have sex.’ His wife shouted back, ‘No, the only thing we have is Medicare and Blue Cross.’”
I have to admit I am a bit of a curmudgeon. I’m not much for public displays of affection and for me, that includes smiling. Hell, I am not comfortable laughing in public. You would think that I have no sense of humour but you would be wrong. Almost everything that comes out of my mouth is sarcastic or sardonic or simply fun. At least my sense of humour is fun for me. In general, people just don’t get it. This makes it even more enjoyable. I have to admit I love it when people can’t figure out what the hell I mean. The question of whether I am horsing around or serious is the point of it all. It is part of my charm. Inside, I’m cantankerous, quite distinctly but quiet as a mouse. As I have gotten older, I find the world around me so charming yet many people that I run into I find rather disgusting. I don’t know who to trust or even if I should. Laughter is my escape. It just comes naturally. To laugh is to live but I’ll live in private.
“Two old guys, Fred and Sam went to the movies. A few minutes after it started, Fred heard Sam rustling around and he seemed to be searching on the floor under his seat. ‘What are you doing?’ asked Fred. Sam, a little grumpy by this time, replied, ‘I had a caramel in my mouth and it dropped out. I can't find it.’ Fred told him to forget it because it would be too dirty by now. ‘But I've got to,’ said Sam. ‘My teeth are in it!’”
The older I get, the more I resent young people. Let’s be clear, I mean 16-24 years of age. They seem to think they have earned the right to laugh when in reality, this is far from the truth. Age, it gives me away. I do not believe for one second that my, or another, generation acted the way the millennials seem to. They all seem self-entitled. They think the world owes them. You can see it in the way they react and throughout their daily schedule. Somewhere along the way someone told each and every one of them that they do not need to worry, life will be kind to them and supply their every need. If you wanna get a good chuckle going, try to have a conversation with one (outside of social media). It won’t happen. Somehow they have all lost their sense of humour. It can be frustrating to spend time with one of them. Rather than taking it personally, I just laugh. Then I laugh some more. They have so much to learn and little time, little time. It’s enough to leave me with the giggles. I’m always surprised at what I find funny.
“I'm bald - well, balding. I like to say ‘balding’ because it sounds more productive. And I don’t like to say I’m losing my hair, because that makes it sound like had I been more responsible, this wouldn’t have happened. ‘Where's your hair?’ ‘I lost it. You know me. Where are my keys?’”
I don’t think rape is funny but I think rapists getting raped is. Poverty is not funny but white trash at Wal-Mart always brings a smile to my face. I loved Joan Rivers but have yet to fill the void. My favourite comedy film is Tootsie starring Dustin Hoffman. When it came out the entire “drag” thing just flew over my head. Will & Grace is without a doubt my favourite comedy program ever. I re-watch it over and over every year. I never laugh as hard as when I’m indulging in Karen or Jack. Beverley Leslie is a hoot, every time. Funny is a guarantee. I preferred Johnny Carson to Letterman or Leno and Fallon is so much better than that Colbert guy. I find Kimmel droll and whimsical but in a very dry way. When I was growing up, my brothers exposed me to George Carlin and Mclean and Mclean. The irony of the song “I’ve Seen Pubic Hair” (1976) was lost on me until a little bit later. I thought my Mom was hilarious and I loved to listen to her tell a joke or a funny story from her past. One of the things I miss the most about her is sitting and laughing. She never failed to do that for me. My Dad was the same way. Like folklore, his tales did much more than just amuse me.
You should see what I caught on video.
“The sight of my mother cleaning her dentures fascinated my young son. He sat riveted as she carefully took them out, brushed and rinsed them, and then popped them back in. ‘Cool, Grandma!’ he said. ‘Now take off your arm.’”
People see me and they think I am unhappy. I rarely smile anywhere, let alone in public. I’m laughing on the inside. Age has made things a hell of a lot clearer when it comes to humour. To be frank, there is no limit for me theses days. There is no line that can’t be crossed. I prefer a rogue to a mama’s boy. When I was younger, laughter was always an external factor that resulted in specific actions. Over the years, I have come to understand that humour is an internal mechanism resulting in emotional gratification. My view on funny has changed. It is no longer just a tactile experience. I think my definition started to alter as I approached 50. Somehow, crossing over into the later part of life struck me as bizarre in the most comical way. I tend to snicker rather than guffaw. I find life amusing in a way I did not before. I have somehow, in spite of it all, found my funny bone, although you wouldn’t know it.
‘Poor Old fool,’ thought the well-dressed gentleman as he watched an old man fish in a puddle outside a pub. So he invited the old man inside for a drink. As they sipped their whiskeys, the gentleman thought he’d humour the old man and asked, ‘So how many have you caught today?’ The old man replied, ‘You’re the eighth.’”
You’re either laughing or disgusted by the very thought of me. To be honest, I am not sure which one I would like more. I think laughter is a subjective matter which should expand as we get older and as we become more aware. I’m not cynical about becoming aware but good luck with that. I cannot imagine a world without laughter. Even in my darkest hour, humour rescued me. I have had to learn to laugh all over again. I am not surprised at how few people are in on the joke. Some people need a big dose of laughing gas. I prefer a more natural approach. Unfortunately, if you’re looking for obvious signs of merry, you will need to keep looking. I am not a demonstrative person.
“An elderly man visits the doctor for a check-up. ‘Mr. Smith, you’re in great shape,’ says the doctor afterward. ‘How do you do it?’ ‘Well,’ says Mr. Smith, ‘I don't drink, I don't smoke, and the good Lord looks out for me. For weeks now, every time I go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, he turns the light on for me.’ Concerned, the doctor finds Mrs. Smith in the waiting room and tells her what her husband said. ‘I don't think that's anything to worry about,’ she says. ‘And on the bright side, it does explain who’s been peeing in the fridge.’”
Things change and they often change quickly. The world around us is in constant flux, ironically, this life can be nothing if not consistent. You have to laugh at it, you need to learn to do just that. While grieving the loss of a loved one can be heartbreaking eventually the sun comes out and not every memory hurts to feel. You learn to laugh again, you even smile once in awhile. The greatest relief for me during the last six months has been just that. Like they say in that movie, "Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion." Sometimes you have to grin and bare it. Then again, sometimes something awful is the funnies thing of all.
Photos
https://www.etsy.com/no-en/listing/695636680/suicide-squad-joker-hahaha-ha-ha-ha
Sources
https://www.rd.com/jokes/old-age/
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/laughter-is-the-best-medicine.htm
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