You Need A Sense of Humor

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Without A Sense of Humor, What Is There?

Yesterday I had the wonderful pleasure of renewing my drive’s license.? Like many people, I was looking at it as perhaps the most generic of all experiences available in California.? Don’t get me wrong…I love to drive, and I appreciate all the hard-working people who make it possible for me to do so.

Still, waiting outside the gray building with a line of people who all had to do various things related to driving was an exercise in observing human nature.? How much human contact could we take while waiting to “get it done?” I was curious.? How do people act these days while doing this stuff?

One guy had his earplugs in and was dancing around, singing to music nobody else could hear, ?before giving the finger to the “no smoking” sign and then going off to smoke on the bench far away from everybody else.? A few people were giving one another skeptical looks, questioning the choices of apparel that others had made, checking their phones, and a couple of people were talking, in short sentences.? Nobody was smiling.?

I was lucky enough to be near a guy who felt like talking, about nothing.? I went along with it, and the time passed reasonably well.? Little jokes, nothing that you would want to remember, but that wasn’t the point.? We were being humans together. And we both smiled, for no reason. I mean, it doesn’t cost any money. I wondered if some of the people I saw ever smiled at all.

As I looked toward the end of the line, I felt that kind of smugness from knowing that I was close to the front!? We had been waiting for quite a while. Moments to go…the lights came on…and we were separated into two groups.? One with appointments, one without.? Having come to the office last time without one, I was glad that this time I had gone online and done the stuff so I could speed through.?

It turned out I had to go through some extra steps.? “Lighten up,” I said to myself as I did so, and it wasn’t a big deal.? Finally, it was time to get my photo done. That same guy was right in front of me, and the person in the last office step had forgotten to have him take the vision test.? So, he did it at the photo station instead.? When he asked if he had passed, the woman at the stations said, “Just barely, but you did”, and he looked shocked.

Then she said, “Just kidding, you were perfect.”? We all smiled.? She looked at me and said, “I always joke around.”?

This made me so happy!? I told her, “Good, because we don’t need any more grouches. We have plenty already.”

“I know. I married one,” she said.? Wow. And she was smiling, too.

“That’ll keep you busy, cheering everybody up,” I said and remembered a grouch or two from earlier in life.? Whew.? I was so grateful for this woman’s ability to take the moment as it is and make something good out of it.? (Can’t wait to see my new photo.)? I told her I hoped I wasn’t winking in the photo, and she told me she had checked, it was good. I wished her a pleasant day as I left, and we both smiled again.? Without a smile, what do you have?? Not much. How can you lighten up the day?? There’s always an opportunity.

As I was leaving, I thought about how good it is to have the freedom to define how I look at the world, and how simple it is to make something good out of very little. If we all did this as often as possible, letting go of our little stories, we could do so much.? Let the little stories go and look for the big ones.? It’s worth it.

Thanks for having a sense of humor.? I’m glad to have you in my world.?