Mark Twain once said, “A sense of humor is a sense of proportion.” If that maxim were true in the 19th century, it must be even truer today. We live in a world full of tension. It goes from global to family gatherings. Whether it be health, finances, or relationships, our thoughts can take a downward turn if we are not careful. I have found that a good, “laugh-at-life” sense of humor can often take the tension out of many human interactions that are headed south. There are numerous examples I could use to illustrate this quality. I will share my favorite:
In the spring of 1999, I went to a travelling baseball team tournament with my son David. My parents came along. My father had recently been treated for skin cancer, and it was necessary for him to wear a hat. I must say it was the ugliest “floppy hat” I have ever seen. Dad went to fill up his car. Afterwards he headed for the snack shop to buy a cool drink. As he approached the window, the lady behind the counter snapped, “We’re closed!”, and abruptly shut the window. Rather than becoming angry at being treated so rudely, Dad calmly asked,”Was it the hat that did it?”. The woman immediately began to laugh, opened up the window, and waited on my father. Afterwards she said, “Thanks for brightening my day”.
As I reflect on this story I suspect the woman behind the counter was stressed about something in her life, and the last thing she wanted to do was interact with some old man wearing an ugly hat. Dad’s humor was like medicine to her soul, and a tense situation was turned around into a memorable experience.
