Find the Funny

I was talking to an old friend the other day
it’s been a minute (or decades?) since we’ve chatted
college buds, we got into lots of good trouble.
Watching WWE wrestling, dancing, football games, homework.
he taught me how to make
the best drink using Country Time Lemonade, ice and vodka (remember??)
I still use the recipe.
He’s a good egg.
He called me funny. He said I was a riot.
…..
…..
I think forgot how to be funny?!
It stumped me when he said that.
I’ve been so bogged down in the mire of sickness
I don’t know if I’m sick or
it’s the ghost of sicknesses
or whatever, it doesn’t even matter.
The point is,
I forgot that I like the funny in life.
That I like to laugh
to make people laugh.
to ring the funny bell in a room full of people.
It was nice to have that reminder.
So, for your reading enjoyment,
Here are the funny things I’ve learned
over the last few fucked up years.

1) Don’t foster 2 giant parrots at the same time. They are loud, and one of them will scream “HELP! I’M IN HERE! HEEELLLP! HELP ME!” so you know the neighbors are going to call the police. The other will hide under his cage and wait for your children to come down the stairs so he can dash out and bite their toes HARD. We’re a free-range animal household, so…no more macaws (for now). The other bird, dog, and angry bunny are enough (for now.)

2) When in the tropics, always make time to have hermit crab races. After the sun goes down, and the kids have buckets, and we’re all screaming trying to catch baseball sized hermit crabs without losing a finger. Make your own fun(ny). Always win, even if you are playing against small children. As my Dad would say, it builds character.

3) Keep listening to Dark Side of the Moon every night since 1998 while you fall asleep. Repeat. And repeat. And repeat. And repeat. Repeat. Keep people around who are ok with listening to the same album over and over every day because it pleases you.

4) Make friend with people that will come a visit you, who chase gelato and churros, who bring corgis with them with their cute heart butts to your house, who force you out of bed to see your world the world any world, who buy you board games you’ve never heard of, who give you a reason to adventure and who let you expose them to scorpions, tarantulas, and wildfires all in one day.

5) Get a stand-up paddle board. Get on it. Take it out into the ocean. Start paddling. This is a sure-fire way for you to change polarity of the earth and the weather and bring in heavy wind and rain to the point that you’re not sure if you will make it back to shore.
 
Thanks, Gringo, for the reminder. I knew I reached out for a reason. Thank you for saying words I didn't know I needed to hear. <3