ROFL (Rolling On the Floor Laughing)

          According to John Vorhaus, author of The Comic Toolbox everyone has a sense of humor and can be funny themselves.  In support of this statement the other day in class my Lit & Civ II professor asked my peers and I to "think of some of the most serious people you know"and then asked us "Can they be funny?" Sadly, when asked of one of the most serious people I know I almost immediately thought of my self.  I do have a sense of humor and can make others laugh or smile. But as I have grown with age, assuming more responsibilities it has become a rarer occasion that I "laugh uncontrollably".  However, one of these unique moments arrived just the other evening.

      On Monday night my family and I went out to dinner, as it was the last night id be home till Thanksgiving.  That evening we were lucky enough to also be accompanied by my bratty six year old cousin Austin, whom we were baby sitting.  After our meal as we waited for the check to arrive my mom asked me to take Austin to the bathroom.  After taking literally about ten minutes he emerged and we med the trek across the restaurant, back to our table.  Upon which Austin and I came to find my whole family starring at Austin and laughing historically. Only then did Austin and I notice that he had come back with a tail of toilet paper tucked out of his rear end.  We both joined in the banter of laughs as he found it quite comical himself exclaiming "I have a white tail!", as he jumped up and down.

      As if this was not comical enough for one evening, another hysterical event immediately followed suit. As we stood up and departed I found my little sister Emily and Mom chuckling.  I inquired as to what the pair was laughing about so my little sister pulled me down and whispered into my ear "Samantha (my older sister) forgot her purse on the table so I ran back and am hiding it in my shirt. Mommy and I want to see how long it takes her to notice".  By the time we were in the car and only blocks away from my house Sam had still not realized that she was missing her beloved purse.  So my whole family jokingly begun to tease her asking her questions that regarded content she kept in her purse.  It wasn't until we were pulling into our drive way that Sam finally realized she was missing her purse and freaked out. We played along acting surprised and worried until Emily finally pulled the purse out of her shirt, as she sarcastically begun lecturing Sam as to how a twenty three year old must be so irresponsible while the rest of us went on laughing.

      In a matter of minutes, two unexpected events made our evening quite memorable.  Laughter is a contagious virus the infects the sole.  It draws out the best of us, creating lasting memories and chipper spirits, from even the most serious of individuals.