There aren’t very many people who can make me laugh the way my siblings can. Maybe it is because we know each other so well and have shared history. More likely it is because we share the same bizarre sense of humour.
We tell the same jokes, even when we don’t know we’re doing it.
This past weekend, we drove to the Okanagan for a visit. We did our customary winery tour, tasting the best the Lake Country had to offer, admiring the naked beauty of the vines in November. Mostly we found every excuse we could to laugh. We shared some locally made chocolate and laughed at the ‘best before 90 days’ label on the cellophane packaging. “90 days! It didn’t even last 90 minutes since I bought it!”…we laughed some more while the rich, dark, slightly bitter artisan treat melted in our mouths.
When I asked how my brother-in-law was faring after a nasty illness, my sister shared how the night that he got sick, she turned to google to try to diagnose what was happening. Knowing what his symptoms had been, I turned and looked at him and asked “Ectopic pregnancy?” Sister laughed out loud because that’s exactly what she’d said to him, trying to lighten the mood and distract him with humour. It didn’t work either time, but we both laughed that we’d come up with the same diagnosis. He’s doing just fine by the way.
We laughed even more later when talking about what people will and will not eat. She told me about the vegetarian woman who said she wouldn’t eat anything that had eyes. I asked, “How does she feel about potatoes?” She burst out laughing because she’d asked the woman the exact same thing. The woman didn’t get the joke, but we did.
There’s something wonderfully renewing, healing even, about laughter. They say it is the best medicine. If you’ve been feeling low, stressed about life, do what I do. Well, not quite, you can’t call my brothers or sister to get a laugh, but you can go see someone who understands your sense of humour and will indulge you with a few giggles. You’ll feel better for it, I promise.
