Recently, I got together with some good friends at a local bar for a few beers and some good laughs. Thankfully, I was able to find a table at the back of the room so we wouldn’t disturb the other patrons too much. Once everyone arrived, we all figured something out. By our calculations, we had not been together as a group for about thirty years. After catching up on how everyone was doing, and how their families were doing, the stories started to flow. A trickle at first, but soon a flood. Every story that surfaced brought along a few other tales as well, to the point where I was making fast and furious notes for future articles. I haven’t gone back to look at those blurbs yet. Hopefully, they’ll make some kind of sense.
At one point in the evening, a story was being told that didn’t cast me in a very good light. As the tale unfolded, it got even worse. When I was younger, I would immediately try to change the subject, and let some other poor sucker be the source of entertainment. However, over the years, I like to think that I have matured a little and developed a thicker skin. Plus, I think I have developed the essential ability to be able to laugh at myself. In my opinion, there are just too many people in this world these days who can’t take a joke. Just yesterday, I read a story about a comedian who told a joke and a couple in the audience called the cops on him. What the heck? Have we come full circle, back to the days when comics like Lenny Bruce would routinely get tossed in the clink for using the F-word? Today, the crime is offending somebody. You know what they say if they can’t take a joke.
Anyway, what was I talking about? Oh, yeah. The tale being told about me was a good one, and I will certainly not repeat it here. At one point, I was laughing so hard tears began rolling down my face. I haven’t split my sides like that in years. It felt wonderful. Generally, I’m the one who brings up the stories that get everyone cracking up. It felt really good to be able to let go, and laugh my head off. Somebody made the comment that we might all need Depends if we decide to get together again. Just as a precaution. We’re all in our late fifties after all. I think a good laugh has a way of cleansing the soul. It cuts through all of the garbage we go through in life and it hits that sweet spot in our being. It taps into our storehouse of instantaneous joy. I’ll have to have a good chuckle more often. Even if I have to go back and watch some reruns of Wipeout and America’s Funniest Videos. I hope you enjoy a good laugh today and pass it on!
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