Friday, February 9, 2001

We don't laugh as much as we once did. Four short people, spouting the wild tales of the day, no longer cluster around our dinner table, filling the evening with hilarity. And the natural passage of time tends to erode the edges of a punchline, turning surprising twists into just another familiar phrase.
Laughter, as it turns out, may be overrated anyway. It is not, Reader's Digest to the contrary, the "best medicine." In a recent article, Robert Provine noted, "Laughter did not evolve to make us feel good or improve our health. Certainly, laughter unites people, and social support has been shown in studies to improve mental and physical health. Indeed, the presumed health benefits of laughter may be coincidental consequences of its primary goal: bringing people together.
"Most people think of laughter as a simple response to comedy, or a cathartic mood-lifter. Instead, after 10 years of research on this little-studied topic, I concluded that laughter is primarily a social vocalization that binds people together. It is a hidden language that we all speak. It is not a learned group reaction but an instinctive behavior programmed by our genes. Laughter bonds us through humor and play."
Laughter may not be what we thought it was, and it may not cure the common cold, but it does provide nonverbal confirmation that folks are sharing an experience. And in deep February, that offers hope.
So, in the interest of providing a unifying chuckle, we dip into the internet humor pool.
-- I live in a semi-rural area. We recently had a new neighbor call the local township administrative office to request the removal of the Deer Crossing sign on our road. The reason: too many deer were being hit by cars and he didn't want them to cross there anymore.
-- My daughter went to a local Taco Bell and ordered a taco. She asked the person behind the counter for "minimal lettuce." He said he was sorry, but they only had iceberg.
-- I was at the airport, checking in at the gate when an airport employee asked, "Has anyone put anything in your baggage without your knowledge?" To which I replied, "If it was without my knowledge, how would I know?" He smiled knowingly and nodded, "That's why we ask."
-- The stoplight on the corner buzzes when it's safe to cross the street. I was crossing with an intellectually-challenged coworker of mine when she asked if I knew what the buzzer was for. I explained that it signals blind people when the light is red. Appalled, she responded, "What on earth are blind people doing driving?"
-- When my husband and I arrived at an automobile dealership to pick up our car, we were told the keys had been locked in it. We went to the service department and found a mechanic working feverishly to unlock the driver's side door. As I watched from the passenger side, I instinctively tried the door handle and discovered that it was unlocked. "Hey," I announced to the technician, "it's open!" To which he replied, "I know, I already got that side."
-- A woman was taking a shower when her 2 year-old son came into the bathroom and wrapped himself in toilet paper. Although he made a mess, he looked adorable, so she ran for her camera and took a few shots. The photographs came out so well that she had copies made and included one with each of her Christmas cards. Days later a relative called about the picture, laughing hysterically and suggesting the woman take a closer look. Puzzled, she stared at the photo and was shocked to discover that in addition to her son she had captured her reflection in the bathroom mirror--wearing nothing but a camera!
-- A teacher noticed that a little boy in the back of the class was squirming around, scratching his crotch and not paying attention. She went back to find out what was going on. He was quite embarrassed and whispered that he had just recently been circumcised and he was quite itchy. The teacher told him to go to the principal's office and phone his mother and as her what he should do about it. H did as told and then returned to class. Suddenly, there was a commotion at the back of the room. The teacher went to investigate only to find the boy at his desk with his pants down. "I thought I told you to call your mom," she said. "I did," the boy replied. "And she told me that if I could stick it out till noon, she'd come and pick me up from school." ~ T. Stucky