Like discovering an elegantly colored peacock in a barren tree on a an overcast day, humor reveals the bright little delights in dark or dreary times.
This can’t be true I hoped desperately as I gazed at the foamy blob seeping into my hair. You know you are too rushed when you grab the nearest spray can and finish off your hair with bathroom cleaner. I hate being late. I hate being disorganized. But the ‘hurrier I go, the behinder I get,’ a gem of wisdom scrawled onto some crafter’s plaque reminds me. I blotted the cleaner off my hair as well as I could and arrived at church with very visible evidence that I was definitely experiencing a ‘bad hair day.’
Someone once said (sorry, I have tried in vain to find the author), that “Our strength as humans is that we can laugh at ourselves for being ridiculous. Our weakness is that we have to do it so often.” When you are rushing so as not to be late because you hate being late and then do something as ridiculous as spray bathroom cleaner on your hair which only makes you show up not only even later but looking ridiculous, you can respond in several ways—cry, scream in anger and frustration—or, laugh. I have tried all of these responses through the years and can testify that the only response that actually helps get through the ridiculously frustrating stress-related disasters is laughter. Sure the mess needs to be cleaned up, the being late, the inconveniences and problems caused to others must be addressed. However, the debilitating frustration, anger and stress are best defused with laughter. It cleanses and heals and strengthens me to face the challenges and move forward. All one needs to do is to see an elephant seal or blue-footed booby (a peliagic bird) to know that Heavenly Father has a sense of humor. I believe the ability to laugh, even in the dark, is another of God’s gifts to not only survive but to enjoy the journey.
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