Time to lighten up.
I can sense it, and I certainly see it and read about it. There is a growing need to “get back to normal.” Trouble is, I’m not sure what that new normal will look like. Besides, I’m not quite ready to go there.
In the meantime, to stave off getting really grouchy maybe it’s time we lightened up a bit. A good belly laugh would do us wonders. We’ve all heard the adage that laughter is the best medicine. It’s certainly not a cure for the virus, but maybe for just a brief moment in time we can set aside our distress, our worries and just laugh, or at least smile.
These days of spending more “together” time with family can sometimes grate on relationships — even husbands and wives.
A husband and wife have been arguing all day. So they go out for a ride and pass a herd of jackasses. The wife says, “Relatives of yours?” The husband replies, “Yep, inlaws.”
Certainly the pandemic has taken a toll on the mental health of some individuals and families.
My doctor asked if anyone in my family was suffering from mental illness. I said, “No, we all seem to be enjoying it.”
We struggle with grocery shopping, cooking and ‘the essentials.’:
I’m at the ‘what can I make with green beans and cake mix’ stage of needing groceries.
You never appreciate what you have until it’s gone — like toilet paper.
Sometimes laughter comes in unexpected places. Jesuit priest Fr. Gregory Boyle has done phenomenal work with gangs in Los Angeles through his HomeBoy Industries. The “boys” have worked hard to improve their lives. Sometimes they stumble with a simple thing like vocabulary.
One boy took a phone call about a speaking engagement. He minded Father Boyle that it came with remuneration. “Father, you will be constipated.”
Another boy was sure he had memorized the responsorial psalm for readings during Mass. “The Lord, my shepherd…… I shall not want him,” he proudly stated. And the congregation responded accordingly.
If anyone can brighten our days and make us smile it’s children. Art Linkletter knew that and brought us wonderful comments from “Kids Say the Darndest Things.”
I pledge allegiance to Captain America. Isla, age 3
On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me a cartridge in the pantry.
Wow, mommy, I like your dress. Did you put that on all by yourself? Thomas, age 3
Art also reminded us it’s okay to laugh at ourselves:
If you can’t think of a good joke, when you’re my age just take off your clothes and walk in front of the mirror. I guarantee you’ll get a laugh.
And a reminder for my long lived life:
You don’t stop laughing because you grow older. You grow old because you stop laughing. _Maurice Chevalier
Always look for the rainbow.