18 September, 2001 - 18:49 MDT

THE WONDERING JEW

Anybody ?

Something for the "Dead or Alive," hawks to carefully consider. A Fox News article by Wendy McElroy quoted in a message board that I read today, is something for everybody to think about:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,34502,00.html

If I keep rubbing my nose in it and scourging myself because of it, I think it will put me just where the Terrorists want us all to be.

Since the eleventh of September I can count the laughs I heard on one hand, grins seen - maybe twenty at the most. People are even kinder than usual, but do so under a cloak of silence and won't acknowledge a, "Thank you," just going on grimly, eyes ahead as if they are ashamed of doing some nicety.

Now this old dude here is of the school of feeling some things are too bad to cry over (although we do) but can bring out humor -- even though gallows at times -- the old phrase, "Laugh to keep from crying," is quite apropos. I really don't intend to live the rest of my life without many hearty guffaws, giggles, chortles and wide smiles. We humans are funny beasts, more so than most animals and it is a rare feast of good humor when we see each other do the inanities that are supposed to be serious. Sometimes it is the act of considering oneself being serious or acting seriously over some little nitpicking thing that can bring the most laughs. Consider many of the mannerisms of many males -- all different of course -- who are addressing the golf ball preliminary to making a shot. The wiggles and waggles, the hitching and twitching, the cycling of twitches and wiggles, the same for hitches and waggles, while looking first up, then down -- then off where the hole is thought to be. The whole thing done over and over until apparently the player says to himself, "Oh hell, I'll bet I screw this one up too." Followed by the shot and cursing that would melt the mast of a schooner. Now that is funny.

Thinking back to the times I caddied for my Dad and later when I played golf myself I would always come in from a round laughing silently over some of the voodoo motions made to appease the God of Golf.

The amusement at a family party sometimes is to put a little baby in the hands of a young, bashful bachelor and snicker and tease at his obvious discomfort and trepidation.

The consternation of some women who go to an event and discover that some other woman is clad in the exact same dress, is totally hilarious if the laughter is strictly muffled and canned. Like wise someone coming to an event in a Tux when everbody is dressed in casual attire. It is also humorous to see how these dilemmas are coped with by different ones. These things are the actions that keep a devoted people watcher laughing internally. No one trying to embarass anyone, just observe what is going on in the surroundings.

Fun,remember fun ? Running joyously across the lawn, laughing for no reason other than the love of life. The first ride in a convertible automobile on the way to an inconsequential, pleasant event. The fun of playing games, cards or whatever, scrabble maybe, in a friendly but competitive manner enjoying the laughing banter back and forth. Sitting around the dessert table exchanging rememberances, usually of funny happenings which occurred to one or more of those in attendance. Even funny is the corked, bottled, barely repressed laughter of the recounter of the tale, until finally the punch line is said and his cork finally pops into cackles and haw haws.

We need I think to use some laughter in bad times.

Smiles . . . got grins, Anybody ? . . . . . . .

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