Laughing at Myself

Many years ago, I was taught to "embrace my imperfections". As you might imagine, sometimes that is easier said than done.

And sometimes, it's HILARIOUS!

It's been a while since I have interpreted a church sermon in American Sign Language. But this week, I did. As I am still learning, my mentor took notes, to give me feedback at the end.

The pastor had been discussing the specifics of our church, and in part, how our church is different from some other churches. He also compared our contemporary worship style to that of years past.

Our church has a very laid back, contemporary atmosphere. I interpret in jeans and a black shirt, typically.... in stocking feet - only because "barefoot" seems a little too exposed.

The pastor was comparing the suits ("fancy clothes" in ASL) of years past to our casual dress of today. He said something along the lines of: "You don't need to wear a suit to worship God". What came of my hands was a little different. "You don't need a fancy body to worship God".

The good news?

Both are true statements.

Hectic Joy

I am amazed at how quickly this first full week of summer has filled up: birthday party, graduation party, Daisy Girl Scout event - on top of the usually scheduled events, primarily gymnastics, yoga and karate. Yet, as I sat on the deck letting the dog run free in the back yard, I recalled much joy in the day.

It hadn't started that way.... it had been a morning of struggles: Getting the kids bathed, the dog walked, and into the car for our first session in "The Adventure Gym". Both kids were really excited about it - the boy, for sure, and the girl hoping with all her might that she'd be able to participate as well...

We will be heading there weekly for my son's Occupational Therapy to treat his newly diagnosed sensory problems. I sat and laughed til I cried at some of the "games" he got to play. Flying through the air like superman, climbing rope ladders, shooting hoops, zip lines. It is amazing to me to see how the therapist can package his tasks into little gifts that he can't get enough of!

From there, we went to pick up his karate belt at his dad's, a quick ice cream treat, then back to the house for an hour or so before karate. See, he really needed his belt because it was stripe testing: and he earned his second stripe!!

So, there I sat, watching the dog play, with the wonderful summer breeze in my hair, recapping the day. As I said my prayers, one thing kept coming to mind: the ear to ear grins on our faces and the sound of laughter in my ears.

It was a long, hectic day - but it was filled with much joy. The sound of my children's laughter is what I will remember....

Irony....

I am so amused.... at the time, I could barely contain myself. My poor friend. God love her!

I woke up with a strong desire to spend the day cleaning my house. Trust me when I say, that is not a common occurrence, so I grab it and run when it hits me. It wasn't one of those "overwhelmed with the chaos" feelings; it was an inspiration to clear out the stuff that we don't use and sift through the stacks of paper that have taken over my desk. I WANTED to clean....joyfully!

The kids had friends coming over for the day, so housework was an ideal project for me. I stuck in a load of laundry as prepared breakfast. Not too long after that, my phone rang. It was a friend of mine whose washing machine had died upon their return from their spring break vacation. She wanted to know if she could haul some of their laundry over and use mine. "SURE! bring the kids, the more the merrier!"

So, she did. The kids played, I sorted through stacks of paper, and then she and I did a couple of the "two adult" jobs I have here. Suffice it to say that it takes two adults and an extension ladder (used as a bridge!) to change a light bulb at my house!

Long story short, as she pulled her last load of clothes out of the washer, they were damp - REALLY damp. We had just returned from taking the kids and the dog on a walk around the block, or we probably would have heard the "CLACK-CLACK-CLACK-CLACK-CLACK" that happened during the spin cycle... without the spin, of course.

"NO WAY!" she said. "What?" "I just broke YOUR washing machine". That's when I lost it. I laughed and I laughed and I laughed. "It's not funny....", she said. Oh... but it is.

It's not like the thing is new... I mean after 15 years of use, it's pretty much been living on borrowed time. I knew I'd replace it one day. As I told her, if it hadn't been her load of clothes, it would have been mine... and honestly, being able to laugh at the irony of the situation, kept me from feeling the frustration that would have hit me if *I* had broken it!

I belly-laughed from time to time, long after she and her kids had returned home.

Thank you God for the gift of laughter.... and the twists and turns that irony brings that keeps life from being just straight out boring.

The Gift of Laughter

It was the end of a busy (and somewhat frustrating) week - and the end of a busy day. One of my friends had invited me to join her at an "ASL coffeehouse". Translation: a bunch of deaf, hard of hearing and hearing-people-who-sign were going to meet at Panera Bread for dinner and conversation.

OH MY GOSH... What a blast! I had the most fun! Good food. Good friends. I haven't laughed so much in a long, long time. I so needed that! (On "the list", laughter stays!)

Laughter is so good for the body and the soul. It shakes up all my tightness and tension, lets the "feel good" chemicals flow, and decreases "stress" hormones. And, since Wikipedia says that "Greek researchers have found through an experiment that 10–15 minutes of laughing burn from 10 to 40 calories, which leads to a weight loss of almost 4.5 lb (2 kg) per year", I'm pretty sure I came close to burning off the cookie I ate while I was there!

The other thing that was good for me - it got me out into the deaf community. More practice with my receptive skills and an opportunity to raise my hands to communicate.

But, mostly... good friends... and much laughter!

Yea God!


Ecclesiastes 3:1,4

1To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

Enjoying a Good Laugh....

A friend of mine was sitting on my couch, having just returned from being away for fall break. We were catching up on our week apart, and I was relating to her my experiences this past Sunday.... the painful misery of it all...

She chuckled as I started my account of the day by telling her I'd "busted" through my "fat jeans", then nodded politely as I highlighted each subsequent difficulty.

Somewhere in the midst of that, her son came down to check out my fish tank.

"Hey, uhm, Ms. Linda....where are your FISH?"

"oh... they died"

My friend looked at me, wide-eyed. The once overly abundant supply of fish had trickled to nothing.

"I think I probably forgot to feed them...."

Her son shrugged and returned to the playroom. My friend started laughing - this deep, rolling, uncontrollable laughter.

Now it was my turn to look at her, "WHAT?"

Through her laughter, she said "You busted out your "fat jeans", AND you killed your GUPPIES?" The laughter continued...

"Oh my God! I love it.... You're HUMAN"

Oh yes.... very, very human....