Laugh With Me
Laughter is the Song of Life
When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dreamed.
Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.” The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. Psalms 126:2
Laughter is the song of life. Laughter is the song of living.
Laughter is the sound of joy. Laughter is the sound of happiness.
Laughter is contagious. Spread it. Be a carrier.
Laughter brightens your day and the day of others when it is shared.
I’m happy to say that laughter has been a large part of my life. I’ve enjoyed the friendship of a few real life comedians and being around them was more fun than a barrel of monkeys. Being genuinely funny is a gift. Some people try too hard to display said gift, when they really don’t have it.
Imagine being a comedy writer in a room full of comedy writers throwing all kinds of ideas against the wall to generate a laugh. I had that type of experience with my childhood best friend. We’d spend hours parsing a particular item or situation into humorous thoughts. Sometimes we’d write parody songs, a silly rendition of a popular tune of the day.
As a speaker, it’s thrilling when you deliver a line that results in a breakout of deep laughter. If you can’t laugh, you are taking life too seriously. You are wound a little too tight. I contend it’s not healthy to keep that joyful emotion bottled up.
You have to feed your funny bone.
For a time, I couldn’t go to sleep until I had heard Johnny Carson’s opening monologue. Today, I have no use for what passes as late-night comedy. I quit late night TV after David Letterman and Jay Leno left the airways. Now I go to bed after that late show, the 6 o’clock news.
I loved the Reader’s Digest for its jokes and humor that appeared as filler at the bottom of pages throughout the magazine.
Lately, I’ve watched a lot of the old shows by Red Skelton, what an artist with brushes for paint and wholesome comedy. The Carol Burnette Show was filled with laughs from Harvey Korman and Tim Conway as well as the star herself.
I cut my comedy teeth on the antics of Lucille Ball and was fortunate to be able to spend a lot of time in her hometown, Jamestown, N.Y. Don Knotts stole so many shows and movies. What a talent from my home state of West Virginia.
The old acts of Abbot and Costello were so good. Jack Benny was a dry comedian with perfect timing and delivery of a punch line you waited for.
You can find all of that stuff on youtube.com.
I recently found a treasure in my eclectic, uncatalogued book collection: Milton Berle’s Private Joke File. It has over 10,000 of his best gags, anecdotes and one-liners. The book is fat, 642 pages. Berle got his start as a child actor in silent film and went on to a career in vaudeville, musicals, movies and television. Berle helped make television a fixture of the American family. He was acclaimed for his dramatic acting, as well as his humor. He made guest appearances on television into his 90s. He died in 2002.
I can find hours of pleasure from this book. The jokes are separated in categories from a to z.
Politics: They elected him to Congress. Anything to get him out of town.
Fishing: Good fishing is a matter of timing. You have to get there yesterday.
Groceries: Most of us must be getting stronger. Last year I couldn’t carry twenty dollars worth of groceries. This year it’s much easier. (A timeless joke that can be adapted with one hundred dollars today)
Health Foods: I stopped buying natural foods when I found out that eighty percent of the people die from natural causes.
Hospitals: After surgery, they put me in the expensive care unit.
Lawyers: Clothes don’t necessarily make the man, but a good suit makes a lawyer.
Politeness: He was so polite, his tombstone reads, “Pardon me for not standing.”
Restaurants: Two men finished a meal and looked at the check put down by the waiter. One man said, “Let’s split the check. You wash. I’ll dry.!”
Riddles: What’s at the bottom of the sea and shakes? A nervous wreck.
Taxes: I hate taxes. Every time my ship comes in, the government unloads it.
X Rays: An X-ray technician got married to a woman who’d come in for testing. He must have seen something in her.
Zingers: Sir, I’d like to leave a thought with you… but where would you put it?
The above is just a sampling of the one-liners. There are scores and scores of stories on every imaginable subject, including some not suitable in today’s society.
I hope this small serving at least gave you a chuckle.
There are spiritual, emotional and healthy benefits of laughter.
Find a reason to laugh every chance you get. It’s the song of life
Your comments and one-liners are most welcome.
Red Skelton’s closing: May God Bless (Cue the big smile)
Our small town Post Office fired one of its carriers last summer. He didn't think he did anything wrong in taking a continuing education course. He paid for it himself and did it on his own time. But when the postmaster found out he had learned to recognize all his numbers, he was overqualified.
My dad worked in the Post Office. In the old days the employees came up with most of the jokes about their inefficiency. They knew how to laugh at themselves. When the cost of a first class stamp was raised from 7 cents to 11 cents, they explained, "It takes so long to deliver mail that we have to charge for storage." (Back then they delivered their route twice a day.)