SENSE OF HUMOR HELPS IN LIVING

By Olivene Godfrey

Helen Keller said, "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing." Not many of my life adventures are very daring but my life is seldom dull. Some of the things that happen to me could probably be described as disasters rather than adventures.
But there are always small things that keep my days from becoming routine.

Like, turning on the water faucet in the kitchen a few years ago and having the whole contraption fall apart, shooting water
as if from a fountain all over me and surrounding areas. All in a day's routine.

Then, there was the time I was cooking dinner for guests. I started to place a large can of used cooking oil on a high shelf in the kitchen cupboard when the can suddenly slipped from my hands, covering my face, hair and clothing. I didn't have to worry about dry skin or hair for months after that incident.

I've been told that I have large eyes and that may explain why I get such weird things in them so often. I seldom get specks of dust or eye lashes in my eyes like most people. No, I get things like a speck of cornbread, coffee grounds, dishwater, cleaning liquids, you name it.

I've also been told that when my life isn't interesting I create havoc. Maybe unconsciously I do since I confess I am inclined to dramatize everything that happens to me. And it does keep life from becoming a bore. I wonder sometimes how people without an active imagination are able to survive in this old world.
Facing realism which is often unpleasant constantly without retreating into a bit of fantasy would probably send me up a tree.

There are certainly times when all of us have to face reality and try to cope with it. And into each life some rain must fall.
But, we can better cope with life's blows if we keep a sense of humor and if we work to keep our lives interesting.

Most of us have periods when we indulge ourselves a bit in self-pity. I hate myself when I do that. Of all the emotions, surely the most terrible is self-pity. One way we can snap out of it is to think of others who are much worse off than we are. And most of us do know persons who have few blessings to count and live daily with intense pain and despair. Yet, many of those persons are cheerful and should make us feel ashamed for giving into our self-pity.

So, don't just sit back and wait for adventures to come to you. Get busy and create your own. Or, dream up an adventure. It could come true, especially if you give it a little help. Many of my personal dreams may never come true. But, so many others have, some I never dreamed had a chance to come true. So, I know, especially if I work at it, some other dreams may one day come true.

See you next time.