One of my favorite things in life is making people laugh.  I would have loved to do stand up, but I never had enough confidence, or material for that matter.  It would have been really cool, though.  There are some people who are unintentionally funny.  My dad was like that.  I don’t know if I have ever been this way.  I doubt it, as I am always weighing what I say in terms of how it affects other people.

I have always been fortunate enough to have people around me who seem to be easily amused by my comments.  This makes me very happy.  Having a blog still seems really egotistical, when one realizes that you must think that you actually have something to say that people would want to read.  But then, I would think this way because I was educated by nuns.  The nuns that taught me, thought it was a sin to even hint at thinking you did something well.  To them, any good thoughts about oneself smacked of conceit.  That surely isn’t anything to laugh about.

Then, one day, I realized that having a healthy self-image was a good thing.  But it was too late to undo all of the damage that had been done.  It took years for the residual effects of that part of my early education to be reversed.  Now I am old and I care less and less about seeming any way other than what I am.  I say what I think and feel good about it most of the time.

But, back to the jokes.  Joking around and talking about the funny observations one has is an incredible blessing.  Laughter can ease difficult situations and lessen stress.  This is sorely needed, since stress is so much a part of life these days.  It is distress, or bad stress that causes so many illnesses, both physical and mental.

If one can cultivate a good sense of humor, life is dramatically easier, especially when things are not going well.  But it is always a good thing when one does not take oneself seriously.  That is the sign of a great comedian.  Often their humor is born of their own painful experiences.  Humor can be found almost anywhere.  You just need to be on the lookout for it.

Having other people laughing at my jokes has been the start of many wonderful relationships in my life, starting with my own mother.  Not only does she laugh, but she can find humor over and over again in remembered funny stories.  This is the reason I can be funny to others.  I have been adequately supported and inspired by her laughter.

So if you don’t think I am funny, you can just blame my mom!  Just kidding!  The best way to live is with a strong sense of the humor in your own life and connect to the ways that make each one of us a part of the human condition.  And that is no joke!