02 October, 2001 - 17:58 MDT

THE WONDERING JEW

Grin

GPa Sez

Listen Boomer,

Best said is humor,

As 'tis not a tumor,

Like the pessimists rumor.

So, let's have fun,

All of us, every one,

When all is said and done,

He who laughs, has won !

As poorly done by me, the foregoing bit of doggerel has a grain of truth I think.

Things that make us laugh and smile ? Limericks that enable us to laugh at ourselves. Usually slightly exaggerated snipes at the human foibles. Slapstick has its place here and there, pratfalls can be funny too, just don't laugh when Pop takes one, or when someone actually gets hurt.

Burlesque,

Or buffoon,

Seen from the desk,

Capering to a funny tune,

Or with a sardonic mask,

Crack wise,

It is a boon,

To delight the eyes,

And ends all too soon !

A source of amusement to me is the reaction I have to different situations encountered by others. Other times, while laughing, I think, "I never thought of it that way."

For me sometimes my situation will seem so utterly hopeless and messed up that my only recourse is to live and pass on to laugh instead of cry, it works for me to laugh at my predicaments.

Funny, rubberoid faces in the strangest of places are cause for glee, as are pants about to fall off sober dignified, pompous types. Mrs. Malaprop lives in my cast of characters, often she is unwittingly portrayed by me.

Ridiculosity has its place, sheer craziness. For instance the parrot and the magician on a cruise ship. All along on the cruise the parrot would give away the secret of the magician's feats of magic to the man's great displeasure. In private he would curse at the parrot at length. the ship ran into a hidden rock and shattered. The scene, Magician holding on to a bit of flotsam and the parrot floating by, looks over at the Houdini and says, "Okay, okay whadja do with the ship ?"

Or Drabble at the video store with his little son. He asks the clerk, "I'm looking for a movie that doesn't contain any nudity, graphic violence or bad language." Simple request, valid considering the venue. The guffaw comes when the clerk replies, "Sorry, that one's checked out."

There is for me fun in every one, even in me when I sight myself in a mirror and stick out my tongue, the weird sight of a bearded, white haired, old grinning grandpa tickles my ribs. Out of character ? Not really, I enjoy poking fun and teasing myself as well as others. Worth at least a chuckle or two.

There are days that I must make an effort to appear serious for an hour or two at a time, just to keep the white coats carrying a strait jacket off my back. At times doing my sober, serious, dignified strut while in my best bib and tucker I hold down my laughter while thinking of all the people I see acting like the Emperor ready to don the magic clothes and thinking of them as naked as the proverbial jaybirds, capering about, "Ha, if you only knew what I am thinking !"

It is only when I start thinking too seriously about myself or my importance in the world, that the blues descend, my shoulders are too light to carry the onerous load.

What fun is there in fun ?

The complete joy of living often is shown in a good-natured Grin . . . . . . . .

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