Sometimes You Just Have To Laugh
Today I had my annual eye exam. ‘They’ say that everyone should have their eyes checked once a year. (The ‘they’ are the opthamologists.) The exam began with a technician having me look at the standard Snellen Eye Chart and call off rows of letters, first covering one eye and then the other. At one point she asked for the very tiniest row and I rattled of the 6 letters that I thought I was seeing. I asked if I got them right and she replied, “No that row was all numbers.”
It was cause enough for me to bust out into uncontrollable laughter. That alone made the whole trek worthwhile.
As I was laughing, I realized just how good laughing felt. I guess that realization stemmed from the fact that I don’t seem to find as many belly laughs in life now, as in the past. Somehow, I’ve become more somber and serious over time. The inescapable media provides us with very little to laugh about and it always seems to be within earshot.
One of the things that I like most about playing scrabble are the laughs. Without trying too hard, one can find some wit or a pun on every board. Some of the best punsters in the southern California scrabble circle, besides myself, include Alan Stern, Margie Gordon, Paul Trachtenberg, and Darth Vader.
I despise TV shows with canned laughter. Most of the stuff is not really funny at all. But since laughter is contagious, the canned laughter is what makes us laugh. . . and since we are then laughing, we assume that the show itself was funny.
One of the funniest things I seen on TV lately occurs on the Rachel Ray morning show. It is obvious to me that they prompt the audience to respond. The most bizarre response occurs when Rachel is preparing food. She shares, aloud, the ingredients that she is adding. The audience applauds feverishly when she adds garlic and/or grated cheese. (That makes me laugh.)
Chevy Chase movies used to make me laugh no matter how many times I saw them. I think I’ll rent one tonight and see if it still does the trick.
What makes you laugh? Have you had a good laugh today?