Laughing at Ourselves

Although it is more fun to laugh along with others, sometimes we need to laugh at ourselves. 

Laughing at ourselves shows others that we don’t take ourselves too seriously, assures them we are more human than Vulcan and lightens the atmosphere around us to assure them that we are okay and they don’t need to rescue us.  

Recently, a friend who frequently reads and comments on my blog sent me a text to remind me of my hearty laugh. 

“I still remember when you were pregnant with Elliot and few of us went skiing. You kept falling, but what impressed me was your jolly laughter every time!” 

Falling while skiing is one of my hidden talents and I’m grateful that my friend remembers my “jolly laugh” that accompanied my arse landings.

Falling while being clipped into my pedals on my road bike is another exceptional and unknown flair of mine.

Envision a woman on a sleek road bike. She is all geared out; skin tight riding shorts, colorful jersey, helmet, flashy sunglasses with the little clip on rearview mirror. She comes up to a stop sign, but forgets to unclip one shoe from her pedal. Instead of standing, she tips her bike over, both feet still attached to the bike pedals. While her arse is on the pavement, she then proceeds to unclip one foot, stands the bike upright and looks around wondering, “Did anyone see that?”

 Unfortunately, my careless movements do not always go unnoticed. But I’ve perfected the thumbs up, smile and wave at motorists who want to stop and assist the road biker who forgot to unclip. 

I once saw this exact scenario on Saturday Night Live. Now I can say I’ve lived to tell about it. 

Why Bother?

Why bother laughing at ourselves? We never know if our hearty laugh at ourselves will be someone’s good memory of us. But if it turns out that way, then we’ve left them with a good memory; one they can use to help refresh ours.