I can count on one hand the number of times in the past few years that I've found something so funny that I laughed until I cried. There is a Native American teaching that says that laughing and crying are the best ways to cleanse the soul. To me, it sounds like good medicine for clearing out the old muck and getting energy moving.
But finding something cry worthy (from a laugh stand point I mean) is not that simple or easy. It's almost as infrequent as a blue moon! (Sorry, had to get that in there since there is a blue moon today--two full moons in one month--not rare, but certainly uncommon, according to Wikipedia!)
Yes, there is funny stuff on the telly, there is medium funny stuff in magazines, there are cartoons that get a har har or a guffaw. But finding something that makes me laugh uncontrollably until a giggle becomes a tee-hee-hee and then goes beyond the tee-hee-hee stage to just all out roar...that is a truly challenging task.
The other night I was again watching a TEDTalks show. It featured Roger Ebert on it. You know, the movie critic that used to do the two thumbs up or down show with his buddy. Well, Mr. Ebert has suffered a terrible recurrence of cancer that caused him to lose his throat and jaw. He is rendered unable to talk. Instead he synthesized his talk on a PC. The technical part of this was quite fascinating in and of itself. Watch for yourself....
Okay. None of that is the funny part. In fact, it is heart-wrenching. I especially was moved by his lovely wife and her clear expression of love and devotion for him.
I have to thank Mr. Ebert because during his talk he mentioned a blog called the Smart Ass Cripple. I know how cringe-worthy that title is. He mentioned it because he said it makes him laugh and I thought that anything that could make a man who lost half his face and his ability to speak laugh must be worth a peek. And after exploring the blog a little, I've come to the conclusion that the man who writes it is quite clearly very level headed and...maybe a wee bit brilliant!
Truth be told, I really needed a good laugh. I point you now in the direction of Cruz Roja as a case in point. I decided to read it aloud to my significant other and as I read, I laughed harder and harder--the imagery was so vivid in the scenes he portrayed. Before long I could not read aloud any more because my giggles had turned to tee-hee-hees and the tee-hee-hees had turned to a roar. The tears came unbidden and poured down my face. I couldn't stop laughing. It was truly uncontrollable. And it felt soooo good. Indescribable.
I have to admit...it is sort of becoming my guilty pleasure. I treated myself the other night to read some past blogs and didn't have to go far before the tears started flowing as a result of Cripple Sports I'd Pay to Watch. The writer is himself crippled/handicapped or at least confined to a wheelchair so to me his moniker, "expressing pain through sarcasm since 2010" seems a completely accurate description of what to expect from the blog.
Not only does this blog bring laughter, but also, in my opinion, education and awareness of the experience of being handicapped. Perhaps it will even bring about some form of social change. I am not a cruel person. I am actually too tender hearted most times. I empathize over the situations but I cannot help myself that the descriptions elicit laughs galore.
I'm going back for another does of the Smart Ass Cripple now. I've had a rough day and I need some endorphins. And a different perspective. Tomorrow, I'll be like a clean slate and my creative energy will have returned with a vengeance so I can work on my eBook, create some jewelry, and maybe even feel strong enough to continue working on that pesky website. I've got my hanky ready (yes, I still carry a lovely vintage hanky) and I'm set to tee-hee-hee. I'm goin' in. Hope you'll join me. Have a Happy Smart Ass Day whether you're able bodied or not. I hope you laugh until you cry!
But finding something cry worthy (from a laugh stand point I mean) is not that simple or easy. It's almost as infrequent as a blue moon! (Sorry, had to get that in there since there is a blue moon today--two full moons in one month--not rare, but certainly uncommon, according to Wikipedia!)
Yes, there is funny stuff on the telly, there is medium funny stuff in magazines, there are cartoons that get a har har or a guffaw. But finding something that makes me laugh uncontrollably until a giggle becomes a tee-hee-hee and then goes beyond the tee-hee-hee stage to just all out roar...that is a truly challenging task.
The other night I was again watching a TEDTalks show. It featured Roger Ebert on it. You know, the movie critic that used to do the two thumbs up or down show with his buddy. Well, Mr. Ebert has suffered a terrible recurrence of cancer that caused him to lose his throat and jaw. He is rendered unable to talk. Instead he synthesized his talk on a PC. The technical part of this was quite fascinating in and of itself. Watch for yourself....
Okay. None of that is the funny part. In fact, it is heart-wrenching. I especially was moved by his lovely wife and her clear expression of love and devotion for him.
I have to thank Mr. Ebert because during his talk he mentioned a blog called the Smart Ass Cripple. I know how cringe-worthy that title is. He mentioned it because he said it makes him laugh and I thought that anything that could make a man who lost half his face and his ability to speak laugh must be worth a peek. And after exploring the blog a little, I've come to the conclusion that the man who writes it is quite clearly very level headed and...maybe a wee bit brilliant!
Truth be told, I really needed a good laugh. I point you now in the direction of Cruz Roja as a case in point. I decided to read it aloud to my significant other and as I read, I laughed harder and harder--the imagery was so vivid in the scenes he portrayed. Before long I could not read aloud any more because my giggles had turned to tee-hee-hees and the tee-hee-hees had turned to a roar. The tears came unbidden and poured down my face. I couldn't stop laughing. It was truly uncontrollable. And it felt soooo good. Indescribable.
I have to admit...it is sort of becoming my guilty pleasure. I treated myself the other night to read some past blogs and didn't have to go far before the tears started flowing as a result of Cripple Sports I'd Pay to Watch. The writer is himself crippled/handicapped or at least confined to a wheelchair so to me his moniker, "expressing pain through sarcasm since 2010" seems a completely accurate description of what to expect from the blog.
Not only does this blog bring laughter, but also, in my opinion, education and awareness of the experience of being handicapped. Perhaps it will even bring about some form of social change. I am not a cruel person. I am actually too tender hearted most times. I empathize over the situations but I cannot help myself that the descriptions elicit laughs galore.
I'm going back for another does of the Smart Ass Cripple now. I've had a rough day and I need some endorphins. And a different perspective. Tomorrow, I'll be like a clean slate and my creative energy will have returned with a vengeance so I can work on my eBook, create some jewelry, and maybe even feel strong enough to continue working on that pesky website. I've got my hanky ready (yes, I still carry a lovely vintage hanky) and I'm set to tee-hee-hee. I'm goin' in. Hope you'll join me. Have a Happy Smart Ass Day whether you're able bodied or not. I hope you laugh until you cry!
