Skip to main content

How I Got My Giggle Back

Working for a nonprofit has many upsides, not in the least is knowing that, in some infinitesimal way I'm helping people who are living with hunger, homelessness, domestic violence, substance abuse and a whole host of other challenges.  Everyone is vulnerable to crises like these; and I feel blessed that our family hasn't fallen off the edge.  Knowing that I'm blessed: definitely an upside.

But there's a downside to this nonprofit work too.

Wallowing daily through the seas of stats about people -- including kids -- going hungry and being homeless and abused and drug-addicted can leave me with a certain darkness that crouches just beneath the surface.  And near enough to the surface to do this: I was talking to someone who works with homeless people the other night. In mid-conversation, I found myself getting glassy-eyed [this was supposed to have been a professional conversation!] The darkness was so close to the surface that all it took for a tear to eke out was the person saying "Oh...you're getting teary." That kind of just beneath the surface.  Embarrassing.

I decided that I have to lighten up and find my giggle again.

So, with this in mind I say:

Thank you, Casey.
Your lamentations over glitter nail polish gave me a good, belly-hurting laugh that I sorely needed. When I watch your video, I believe that Divine Providence must have orchestrated that loss just so I could get my giggle on again through your tears. Rodgers jersey or not, the Packers can shoot for the Super Bowl next season.  

Thank you, Would-be Track Stars.
You reminded me of the time I tripped over a rope in gym glass, and after what seemed like a five-minute hang time in mid-air, went flying at least ten feet across the floor.  My BFF laughed so hard she cried.  In fact, she laughed so hard she got in trouble.  She's probably laughing right now about it.  Come to think of it, she's the one who sent me the link to your video.

Thank you, Kelsey Grammar.
The mere thought of you gallantly falling off stage so suddenly puts me in tears. Yes, I know it happened a long time ago; and yes, I'm sure it was quite humiliating for a distinguished actor such as yourself, but think of the joy it has brought to the nonprofit sector.  Well, at least this sector of the nonprofit sector.

Thank you...ME. It get's REALLY funny in the last few seconds. That's all I'm going to say.
'Nuf said...and there's more where that came from.

If you needed to get your giggle back, I hope these videos did the trick.

So...what is it that makes you giggle?

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

What 6 Christmas Songs Got Wrong

After Thanksgiving, a birthday party last week, another birthday party this week and Christmas coming up next week, I am officially overwhelmed. It'd take more time than I have to explain what yet needs to be done and if you're like me, you're probably overwhelmed and don't have the time nor inclination to read it all anyway. But even with an overflowing plate, I still love the Christmas season -- from setting up the Christmas tree that we got two weeks ago and decorated only yesterday, to lighting bayberry scented candles, to every Rankin & Bass Christmas Special, and the music. Oh, the music. Songs have a way of putting you in the Christmas spirit, warming your heart and next thing you know, you're hugging a stranger in the elevator. Okay, um...maybe that's just me. But alas, all songs are not created equal; and the following Christmas songs inspire and awaken anything but peace on earth and goodwill to men. 1. Christmas Shoes : This song makes my

Racism & Prejudice: Brothas from a Different Mother

Next week I’m attending  a seminar on defining racism. Should be interesting because: 1) I’ve been living in the skin I’m in for nearly 43 years and I’d like to hear about any advancements on the topic; and 2) back in college, some class I took defined racism as movement, advancement or otherwise being prevented and/or restricted based upon race .  Embedded in the definition was that racism took two parties – someone in power (the racist) and someone whose rights were being violated. So according to that definition, racism is an action , not an attitude . One is a disabling trespass while the other is prejudice . I tend to agree. It’s my belief that Martin Luther King and the thousands of civil rights fighters stood up against racism . They stood up against actions that prevented people from the pursuit of happiness – whether that meant voting, drinking from a common bubbler, or not ending up as Strange Fruit on a Poplar tree when all they wanted to do was get from P

The Moments That Are Given

Mom! It’s graffiti! It’s art... on a shoe ! I have to try it on. Please...can I? It was my 12 year old’s first foray into heels. A big moment in our little lives. Working full-time when she was an infant had stolen other big-little moments from my camera’s eye -- the first time she rolled over, the first time she sat up unassisted...the first firsts. Newly, gladly and willfully unemployed for the first time in 15 years, I took a picture. The picture wasn’t as much of an attempt to catch up on lost firsts, but rather a net to capture a butterfly’s moment of the moment; because if history skips a generation and the math holds out, there are more years behind me than ahead. My mom died at 63. Her mom died at 47. I’m 46. I’ve checked all over my person for a stamped expiration date, from the flabby inside parts of my arms, to the backs of my knees and other parts of my anatomy that shall remain nameless here.  There is no such date. Yet, there is a possibil