Laugh, and the whole world...well, not always

Magnet #629 - e. e. cummings quote

When I saw this magnet in New Haven a couple of weeks ago, I knew that even if I already had bought six other magnets that day, that I needed to pick this one up. And not just cuz it's pretty and blue.

Really, it's because if there's one thing in this world that I hope people take away from meeting me, it's that I like to laugh. A lot. I can't help it.

Laugh when I'm happy. Laugh when I'm sad. Laugh when I'm mad. Laugh when I'm freaking out. Laugh when I'm with people. Laugh when I'm by myself. Laugh at myself. Or, laugh at nothing at all.

It's my first instinct. Probably a survival one, at that. Of course, I've been called on the carpet a number of times for laughing inappropriately.

• At family. C'mon, who doesn't think crazily written letters from crazy relatives should be laughed at, rather than taken to heart.
• At inanimate objects. You really can't do anything but laugh at the fact that IT has been messing with that stupid MAC all damn day, and she's interrupted a whole day of work.
• At work. Though, I still maintain that if you don't laugh at the silly things that our coworkers and clients and people in general ask for, you just end up crying.
• At funeral homes. Though, I still maintain that even for a Death and Dying Unit in Language Arts, no junior high class should have a behind-the-scenes tour of a funeral home.
• At people in general. Really. C'mon. I live in NYC. Have you seen the crazies running around here?

Anyway, laughter's a big thing for me. It's how I know the world's not ending, when I can still laugh. It's when I stop, that you know we're really in trouble.