Bagel

The people I hold nearest and dearest to my heart - the ones who know me best - my beloved family . . . well, I have to say that they are all a little bit off. For some unknown reason, they think that I have a really strange sense of humor. Personally, I just think they fail to see "funny" when they see it.

I do have to admit though, that when I am the ONLY person laughing in the whole room, and even the dog is giving me a funny look, it makes me wonder about myself.

I tend to do really dumb things. I will often times attribute it to my blondness, and other times I just shrug my shoulders and move on. When somebody catches me doing some off the wall thing (and Jodie is really good at that), and they call me on it - I am suddenly in stitches.

I am tickled most when somebody will imitate something I have said or done, making me realize in that moment what a goofball I've been. For example, this morning I was making my kid's their breakfast. Makayla had her usual, a frozen cinnamon toast waffle, and the boys wanted cream cheese bagels.

As my girl sat quietly eating her food, I barged in and began to spread cream cheese on the bagels that had been lightly toasted. So what is so funny about that you wonder? Well, I just happened to be in my "hurried" mode, and I was trying to cut some corners by moving at a rapid speed. Now trying to spread cream cheese on a moving bagel can cause a girl to get pretty intense.

I worked quickly and very forcefully, trying to spread the cream cheese as best I could. In this moment, I was a serious as a heart attack thinking about all of the things I still needed to do to get out the door. We weren't late mind you . . . because my rapid pace really was paying off.

Then it happened. My oldest son began to comment on my behavior, making me laugh for the next twenty minutes or so.

"Whoa . . . " he said. "You were acting like the bagel was trying to escape or something."

That's all it took. His reaction to my odd cream-cheese spreading had me in stitches. I did not realize I was being so intense until he opened his mouth.

Stuff like that will happen (things that really are not funny to other people), and it will get me laughing until I am crying. I have memories of when we were first married that just kill me. One of the things I have always loved about Mark is that he can always make me laugh.

So what tickles you? Is it a funny movie? A funny face? A joke? In other words, is it something that is actually funny?

I think Maykayla might be a little bit like her Mommy when it comes to giggles. The other night she got tickled about something, and laughed for a good ten minutes. She just couldn't stop. And was she laughing about something that was actually funny? No, not really. People say that she looks like me, but I think our similarities might run a little bit deeper.

I thank God for the gift of laughter. This world has plenty of things to be serious and sad about. It's those laugh out loud moments of pure joy that bring it all around.

Cream cheese anyone?