Laughter

10/21/2023

6:44 pm

I would like to say that I have this alter ego that nobody knows about such as secretly being a romance novel writer under a pseudonym or I secretly do cosplay and dress up like Yoda. That is definitely not me. Those ideas or notions are not even close to who I am.

When people meet me the first time I am generally viewed as this no nonsense, serious, and stoic person but that is before they actually get to know me. That is before I feel comfortable enough around them to be me.

I am pretty boring when it comes to doing work and trying to stay on task or complete a project. The only time that does not come into play is when I am with the closest people in my very small circle. The people I trust the most. Then people realize that I have very dry sense of humor and love to laugh.

I was once told by an Air Force Commander that I had a “British” sense of humor. I had no idea that was even a thing but now looking back at the comedians, shows, and movies that I tend to watch, they were correct.

What’s that quote “A day without laughter is a day wasted.” – Charlie Chaplin

Whenever I have been at my lowest points, laughter is usually the one thing that helped the most and brought me out of those down moments. I would often replay scenes from a movie or a quote would be on replay in my thoughts.

Growing up as a kid of the 70’s and 80’s, nightly sitcoms were the norm for me. It is in those sometimes ridiculous television moments that laughter helped move me through the pain, abuse, and trauma. It helped me survive.

Three’s Company was my favorite. It was this crazy show and it had a lot of physical comedy and misunderstandings that would make me laugh out loud even though there were also parts that went over my head since I was a kid. After all this time, just today I learned that this comedy was actually based on a British sitcom called “Man About The House” what a weird coincidence. I never knew that.

Recently one of my favorite television stars from that time period passed away, Suzanne Somers. I always liked her because her name was the same as mine and there hasn’t been that many main stream entertainers with that name as I grew up.

Her character was this innocent albeit sometimes naive person who tried to live honestly. The character was silly sometimes and was written to have stereotypical blonde moments. Looking back at those shows now it is sometimes cringey with what television shows got away with but I also know that was before things started getting censored or ratings were being applied.

As I got older, I finally understood the innuendo of some of the jokes, and it still made me laugh. When John Ritter passed away, I cried because he was my ideal “Big Brother” that I wished I could have had even though he was the same age as my mother at that time. The closest I got to having a brother were my many cousins who I learned all the “Bad words” from and was my first introduction to raunchy and vulgar humor. That is not exactly my style but it has had its moments.

These three characters lived together in a place that sounded so cool to me as a kid, Santa Monica, California. I wanted to live there and just be free like them. The intro of the show made it seem like a fun place to be. It was an idea that pushed me to do the best that I could and maybe one day, I would find someplace similar.

I grew up and as a young adult in the military traveling back and forth across the country plus a brief period overseas, I got to have those adventures filled with memories and a lot of laughter that I dreamt about as a kid.

Laughter truly is the best medicine.

Thank you for stopping by.

Have a great week!

Peace, love, happiness, and good vibes, always!

Suzanne