I’ve been thinking about how best I could add a little bit of sunshine to a very dark autumn, especially geopolitical-wise. Ya know, something funny to cheer you up…After spending many minutes mulling things over, I decided to do the obvious: post funny videos (animals, babies, etc.) and my second favorite joke.
Funny Animals Will Cheer You Up!
Watching animal videos – cats, dogs, monkeys, chickens, you name it – guarantees me valuable moments of respite from the worries of the day. Right now, my worries are focused on the wars in Ukraine and Israel and the potential loss of our democracy. Wow…that sounds overwhelming, doesn’t it?
In addition to watching funny animals, I’ve decided to spend less time watching the news. I check in with CNN or MSNBC a few times a day just to determine how bad things have gotten. And then I tune out.
Human Babies Are Pretty Funny Too…
I’ve been doing some babysitting and find myself around infants and toddlers quite a bit. As a special educator, I mostly worked with kids between three and five and rarely got a chance to interact with a baby. Well! I didn’t know what I was missing because newborns, infants, crawlers, and toddlers are fascinating and adorable.
They help take my mind off troublesome stuff, connect with a darling little innocent, and find enough laughter and smiles to give me the break I need from the world afar and yet so close.
Another Bright Spot: A Flash Mob Doin’ Grease!
There’s something about a flash mob that grabs my heart. I remember seeing my first one at the beginning of the COVID lockdown. It was a huge group of people singing Broadway show tunes to mall shoppers. The camaraderie of it all, the good cheer, the odd juxtaposition between the mall’s familiar routine and a bunch of singers showing up, as if out of nowhere, and singing their hearts out to raise the spirits of others. Wow…
Need Wedding Advice? Here’s Your Man (Boy)
Sometimes I wonder if we asked children for advice — and then followed it — would the world be a better place. Now I don’t expect to get a sophisticated pep talk or perspective from a five year old, but I’m finding that many of them are really quite wise. They know the basics of happy interactions – listen to the other person, share your ideas and your stuff, allow others’ ideas to change yours, say “please” and “thank you,” and so on.
One More “Something Funny To Cheer You Up”
{Note: please read the joke aloud; it’s funnier that way.}
A magician was working on a cruise ship. Since the audience was different each week, the magician did the same tricks over and over again. There was only one problem: The captain’s parrot saw the shows each week and began to understand how the magician did every trick.
Once he understood, he started shouting in the middle of the show, “Look, it’s not the same hat!” or, “Look, he’s hiding the flowers under the table!” Or “Hey, why are all the cards the ace of spades?” The magician was furious but couldn’t do anything. It was, after all, the Captain’s parrot.
Then one stormy night on the Pacific, the ship sank. The magician found himself on a piece of wood floating in the middle of the sea with, as fate would have it, the parrot. They stared at each other with hatred, but did not utter a word.
This went on for a day… And then two days. And then three days. Finally on the fourth day, the parrot could not hold back any longer and said, “Okay, I give up. What’d you do with the ship?”
Thanks, Amy, for bringing some cheer with these funny videos! I especially the love animal and baby videos you posted! I must confess that I sometimes sneak onto FB and watch some myself.
Thank you, Arlene. Watching funny stuff when you’re feeling down or stressed is a terrific way to feel better — even just for a little while.