Great Days

Chapter 9: Laugh at Yourself

"Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves, for they will never cease to be amused." – Unknown

"One out of four people in this country is mentally unbalanced. Think of your three closest friends ~ if they seem okay, then you're the one." – Ann Landers

"Angels fly because they take themselves lightly." – G.K. Chesterton

"Laughter is inner jogging." – Norman Cousins

A reporter once asked Bess Truman, wife of the 33rd President of the United States, what characteristics she thought were the most important for the wife of a President to have, and Bess replied, "Good health, and a well-developed sense of humor." She was certainly right about that. Those characteristics are important not just for First Ladies but for all of us.

If we want to have great days, we have to be able to laugh at ourselves and to not take ourselves too seriously. Some of our best laughs should be the result of our laughing at ourselves, of finding humor in our mistakes or our shortcomings.

On the Riverwalk in San Antonio, Texas, there's a restaurant called "Dick's Last Resort." Like many of the Riverwalk restaurants, Dick's has outdoor tables and is a great spot for watching the tourists stroll along the river. One day my husband and I were walking in front of that restaurant when I saw a quarter on the crowded sidewalk. Not being one to pass up money, I bent down to pick it up. But the quarter wouldn't budge. No matter what I did, the quarter refused to be picked up. To my surprise, and to the amusement of the outdoor diners at Dick's, it was glued to the sidewalk, placed there by the management as part of the entertainment for the customers. Was I embarrassed! Now, I could have gotten mad and upset and could have allowed being the brunt of the joke to put me in a bad mood. But the better reaction was to laugh right along with the patrons at Dick's and enjoy the moment.

When I was about twelve years old, my family and I were invited to Sue Ming's wedding. Sue had grown up in our neighborhood, but we had moved away several years before and had not seen her or her parents, Morris and Elaine, in some time. We were excited about attending this celebration as it would be a good opportunity not only to visit with them but also to see other friends from the old neighborhood.

The night of the wedding we were running late and left the house without the invitation, but my dad said he knew where the church was and exactly how to get there. Sure enough we arrived and got seated just minutes before the wedding party was to start down the aisle. As we settled into our seats, my mother leaned over to me and said, "I think the organist is Morris' brother. I know he's a musician, and that man looks just like him." I agreed. He was, as we say in Texas, a "spittin' image" of Mr. Ming.

The groom's family was seated, and then the mother of the bride came down the aisle. Since we'd arrived late, we were seated over to one side and couldn't see too well, but as she passed by, my mother whispered, "Elaine has lost weight. She looks so slim."

My mother was looking around the church, trying to spot familiar faces. "I'm so glad we came," she whispered again. "I don't see anyone else from the old neighborhood."

After the bridesmaids and the groomsmen had taken their places, the anticipated moment arrived, the time for the bride and her father to come down the aisle. As the congregation stood and turned to watch the grand entrance, my parents and I had quite a surprise. The bride was not Sue Ming! Both the bride and the father of the bride were total strangers.

At that point my parents and I began to attempt to control the overwhelming laughter that was building up inside. (Have you ever noticed that things are so much funnier when you're in a place where you're not supposed to laugh!) Of course what made it so amusing was remembering my mother's comments preceding our discovery.

It took every ounce of willpower and self-control we possessed to get us through that ceremony. We'd made a mistake, but the only thing to do was to laugh at ourselves.

Often it's the little things in life that cause us the most frustration and also provide the best opportunities to find humor in every day life. Have you ever misplaced something? It's so frustrating not to be able to find something that you know you have! Recently, I couldn't find the grated parmesan cheese. I knew I had some, because I'd just used it the day before. I looked everywhere ­ in the pantry, in the refrigerator, in every storage cabinet. Finally, I just gave up and announced to my family that they'd have to eat their spaghetti without the parmesan cheese. That night when I was cleaning up the kitchen after dinner, I found the parmesan cheese...under the kitchen sink! Well, it was in a green container. Guess I thought it was a can of Comet cleanser!

When things go wrong today...and they may...try to find a way to laugh at yourself. Laugh at your mistakes. Laugh at your shortcomings. Laugh at the fact that you don't know everything and that you don't always do things right. As some wise person said, "If you can look in the mirror without laughing, you have no sense of humor."

Here's an extra benefit of laughter ­ William Fry, MD, an emeritus associate clinical professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, says that laughing 100 times is equivalent to a 15-minute stationary bike workout! Which would you choose?

Laugh at yourself...and have a great day!

Excerpt from Great Days: 50 Ways to Add Energy, Enthusiasm, & Enjoyment to your Life. Copyright, 1997.

Other Sample Chapters

Chapter 13: Get Better at Something
Chapter 19: Risk
Chapter 50: Look for the "High Point" of the Day

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