SERIOUS HUMOR

I've known several morticians over the years. Without exception,
they've each had a rich sense of humor. The ability to laugh is
probably necessary in some professions, and those who work with
corpses likely head the list. Otherwise, how could they stand the
grief and pain felt by every family that walks through the door?

I once heard of mortician who liked to sign all his correspondence:
"Eventually yours." That gets right to the point.

Humor is something I can get serious about. It is nothing less than
an extravagant gift - to be frequently used and shared. It was the
late evangelist Billy Graham who said that "a keen sense of humor
helps us to overlook the unbecoming, understand the unconventional,
tolerate the unpleasant, overcome the unexpected and outlast the
unbearable." That's serious stuff.

In the summertime, I like to ride my 150cc scooter instead of
driving the car. I enjoy the breeze in my face and sometimes find
myself smiling for the pure joy of it as I zip along.

But my scooter has a major flaw. It was not made for uneven
surfaces. Its single, mushy shock absorber is almost useless as the
bike grinds and scrapes at every unexpected bump and hole in the
road.

A life without humor is no better at getting through life's bumps
and jolts than my scooter. It groans and complains at any
unanticipated obstacle thrown in the path. And there is plenty of
debris along the way. There will be obstacles in life's road at
every turn.

The problem is not that there are problems. There will always be
rocks in the way. And where there are no rocks, watch out for a
pothole. No one ever promised a smooth ride. As Katharine Hepburn
said, "Life is hard. After all, it kills you." Problems are not the
problem. It's that when we think the way should always be smooth,
every stone we hit feels like a personal assault.

We need resources to absorb life's shocks. And a good sense of humor
is one tool we can't live without. The ability to lighten up is
invaluable when we encounter teeth-rattling jolts. It helps us
"overlook the unbecoming, understand the unconventional, tolerate
the unpleasant, overcome the unexpected, and outlast the
unbearable." And it's just plain fun to carry along on the ride.

Maybe musician Corky Siegel got it right when he said, "Life is too
important to take seriously."


Steve Goodier