Laughing Clowns
The laughter of small children is contagious. Peek-a-boo games or weird noises by animals or adults (ripping paper or blowing your nose) send kids into hysterics.
You can hardly watch a child in full out giggle mode without being drawn in. The next thing you know you’re laughing too. I dare you not to be childlike.
The distinction between children and adults who laugh out loud is a matter of self-control and decorum. Due to their lack of world experience, children have neither. They will laugh wherever and whenever anything tickles them. In adults, when alcohol or pratfalls are involved this distinction becomes moot.
A few years ago, several very mature women, and myself, got the giggles at a wake. Most inappropriate, I agree.
We had visited the family, given our condolences and left the building, like proper adults. So far, so good.
It’d been a while since we’d seen each other. Outside on the newly installed front porch we caught up on each others’ lives. As one of the women said her good-byes and stepped away, a loose floorboard sprung up towards her face, just like in the cartoons. Although she managed to avoid a plank to the face, one of the women snorted. I tried to squash my laugh, which came off like a cross between a fart and a burp. That sent another woman into tearful hysteria, and in no time, the train roared out of the station.
What could only be described as rude behavior by a pack of ignorant hyenas, actually was a huge release of pent up sadness. To regain our composure we averted each others’ eyes until one side look and an off-handed quip started the engine all over again.
If you’re around the right kinds of people, prolonged and uncontrollable laughter is childishly fun.
Dressed in black at a wake, well, we drew some interesting looks. A lovely gentleman put his arm around my friend in an effort to comfort her tears. This sent two of us into a wail. One of us whizzed, and the train circled once again.
Remember the Chuckles the Clown Funeral episode on the Mary Tyler Moore Show?
Yeah, this about sums it up. We were Mary Tyler Moores, laughing like children.
BE F-G AWESOME TODAY!
Original graphic and prose: Stephanie DelTorchio
Image: Pixabay