I Wish I Was Funny

Some people are just funny. It doesn’t seem to matter what they talk about, I find myself laughing. Sometimes I’m like that.  One night my friend, Susan, and I cracked up every time one of us said Costa Rica. David Sedaris is a funny person. He tickles my funny bone and I am laughing at situations that might otherwise find me crying. I don’t laugh at everything he writes, but almost.

I wish I was funny like David Sedaris. When he writes about his family, his life, he has me laughing. These are poignant moments, painful events, and I’m laughing. He is definitely not ‘politically correct’, but I rarely take offense. In a piece I heard recently he noted that he leaves the price tag on some Christmas gifts. His thought, “ They should know how much he’s spending on them.” I laughed and then wondered: when I see a price tag on a gift, is that what the giver wanted me to know as well?

I often listen to him at night with headphones. I love hearing him tell his own stories. The way he phrases his words and uses his voice adds so much to my experience. I love when he says his own name in a piece.  It’s so rich with meaning.

One night I was listening to When You’re Engulfed in Flames. It was the part about the music in Japanese Department stores. I won’t give any spoilers here. I was trying not to wake my husband so I laughed silently. The problem was I was vibrating so hard with my silent guffaws I woke him anyway. He wasn’t sure if we were having an earthquake or I was sick.

I would like to be funny like David, but I’m not. It isn’t that I don’t have a sense of humor, though at times my husband has claimed I lack this quality when I don’t laugh at what he thinks is funny. Here’s what it is: I don’t like slapstick or what I call stupid adult/adolescent movies. You won’t find me laughing at Adam Sandler, Chevy Chase, or other actors like that in their comedic genre.  Most of the time I don’t like jokes or comedy scenes that are funny at someone’s expense.  This is just cruel to me.

I do have humor, it’s just very dry. I’m sure I was English in another life. Billy Crystal in City Slickers had me rolling. Do you remember the coffee grinder scene? I thought I’d wet my pants I laughed so hard. I like the humor in Pixar movies and recently I laughed my way through season five of The Office. So I’m not hopeless.

I laugh at my own jokes. Does that count? I must admit though, I tend toward the serious and weighty side of things. My astrologer says I don’t do small talk. I’m not so sure I want to buy that…yet. I’m happy to talk about composting – turning garbage into soil, impact of global warming, what will happen when the oceans rise. Or my latest interest, Kombucha tea. I’m going to start making my own. I’m sure I’ll have lots to say on this subject. Do these count as small talk?

I think I’m probably tipping my hand. It’s true, I‘m drawn to subjects that ask me to be conscious. So that leads me to think about the subjects I’ve blogged about. I wonder? Would they draw more readers if I were funny?