Funny that...

I used to have a better sense of humor. I must have lost some in the evolution process. Pity that. For my sense of humor may have come to the rescue many a times in my life.

But let me explain what I mean. And yes, I would be just the person who would have to explain something like that. For I am just the kind of person who explains a joke. And if you’ve ever heard me attempt to tell a joke, you’ll know exactly what I mean. For most times when I’m trying to tell a joke, I forget either the punchline or remember only the punchline. Yeah yeah… not all of us have continuous coherent thoughts, and if you’ve ever spoken to me, you probably know what I mean.

Hmm... Now would be a good time, to stop pointing out to things that I would rather not have people notice in the first place. Let me, instead, tell you what I mean.

By sense of humor, I’m not even referring to the “ha ha…funny” or humorous. Sure, that helps too. But I’m mostly referring to the ability to laugh off, the not-so-funny situations in life. To be able to find the funny or the ludicrous even - in situations that seem crazy or disaster-like, out of whack or out of our control. The ability to laugh, to lighten up, and to not take it all so seriously, no matter how serious, it truly may be.

I’m not sure I can do that as easily anymore. I tense up in a doctor’s office. I stare through jokes, even if I get them (especially when they are health related). I can almost see my sense of humor dry up and disintegrate right in front of my eyes.

Sure it pops up every now and then. I can remember my husband and I cracking (really bad) jokes in the ER. Sometimes, it pops up when there is nothing else to do, but to laugh. Like the time last year, when I got shingles a week before my surgery.

At the pre-surgery appointment, I nonchalantly mentioned to the nurse that I had very painful rash on my abdomen, and asked if they were to make incisions, right there. She took a look and leapt - out of her skin and out of the room. Only to return with a doctor. Her eyes were so wide, I wondered if they would ever restore to their normal size.

The doctor announced I had shingles and that surgery would have to be postponed. Shingles? Seriously? Who gets shingles? Moi, apparently. Sigh… Well, there had been a lot of stress related to some events, and then there was the upcoming surgery. But even then…

It was all mad. It was all exactly something that would happen to me. And right there in their office, I laughed at how crazy it all was. The doctor and the nurse looked at me (disapprovingly??) and drove me out of there.

The reason I remember this story so well is because other people involved laughed too. I called my naturopath. She laughed. We both laughed.  Then she told me to get some hypericum oil for the nerve pain. My doctor called. I asked him if he had heard the news (the nurse with the big eyes was quick). He laughed (even though I had wrecked their surgery schedule -- again). We both laughed.

I was grateful and relieved that everyone around me had the ability to laugh it off and see the humor (that really didn’t even exist) in the situation. I waited till the evening and told my husband, in person, with a solemn face (I think). He looked at me, shook his head, and just laughed. We both laughed.

Again I was grateful and relieved that we could laugh it off. There really was little else we could do anyways. And that’s the sense of humor I’m talking about.  

For although this laughter doesn’t necessarily change things or make anything better, it helps puts things into perspective, and allows us to notice the hilarity of how unexpected, and how out of control, our lives truly are. It lightens the situation and helps us plod on through the situation, no matter how sticky.

It also makes me appreciate our species, and our evolution on the whole. We must truly be a powerful species if we can laugh at life (even when it seems like the last laugh belongs to life). And as we evolve, I hope we never let go of this ability… For it makes letting go so much easier…