It Ain’t Funny, ‘Til It’s Funny!

It Ain’t Funny, ‘Til It’s Funny!

By Allen Merritt (©2017)

Have you ever heard someone attempt to tell a joke or try to be funny only to discover no one is laughing? Their efforts fall flat or simply aren’t funny? People groan, roll their eyes, stand there stoically with sour looks on their faces or simply walk away?

The phrase “if it was funny then we’d both be laughing” leads me to something I read recently about “it ain’t funny until it’s funny.”

While most folks aren’t stand up comedians, we all have funny life stories we experience and share. Some are funny, some are not. Many of these experiences are not funny you begin with, but years down the road, after the fact they may become funny as we continue to remember and share…with slight embellishments, of course.

To keep things rolling along with humor and infuse positivity into the week I want to share a few “it ain’t funny until its funny” stories as a reminder that what we go through right here and right now may not be funny, but we can look forward to turning it all around later down the road and having something fun to look back on. Hindsight is after all 20/20. Isn’t that what they say?

If it were my mother, she would say something to the effect that it’s so ugly it’s cute. The following memories may fit in this category. I hope it sparks a sense of finding humor in your experiences.

Anyway, here goes!

1) I remember coming home from school one day to the old trailer we called home. It was just off the highway on the outskirts of a very small town in the middle of nowhere. I got off the school bus, trotted into the trailer and found myself alone as I usually did after school. Mother was across the highway working at the tavern she managed. The first thing I recall noticing was a shotgun standing in the corner up against our wood paneled walls.

Let me preface this by saying there were events called turkey shoots which my mother sponsored at the tavern. People would show up with shotguns, shoot at targets set up along the railroad tracks. The one hitting closest to the bulls eye won a turkey.

However, the shotgun standing in the corner was for more than turkey shoots, but I was a kid and didn’t much think about that. However, the rules stated I was never ever to touch the gun unless I wanted to be torn limb by limb and have my hide ripped off. Handling the gun was done only in the presence of an adult and with their permission.

But do you think this stopped me on this particular day standing there all alone in the trailer house facing the invitation of that cold and sweaty looking shotgun in the corner? Noooooo! It didn’t mean a thing.

I picked up that shot gun and quickly discovered what a hair trigger was all about.

“KAPLOOOEWWWWY!” 

Bam! The gun spoke. It blew its top. It threw me backwards across the living room into an opposing wall before falling to the ground. I can picture myself now shaking my head with cartoon sound effects. Needless-to-say, I was scared out of my pants (not literally). When I stood up and surveyed the damage the entire kitchen linoleum floor was blown to smithereens. Long story short, I eventually had to confess to mom about the smoking gun disaster. All I can remember thinking was, “I shot the kitchen floor, but I did not shoot he kitchen sink.”

2) I got a puppy at some point while living in New York City. After going through the turmoil that puppies put you through I remember taken the larger version of the same dog to Central Park for an afternoon walk and romp. Everything was cool until I let him off the leash for a bit and he made a beeline to something a few feet away. He started wallowing in the grass, or so it appeared. Turns out he found a large pile of defecation he was attracted to and started to lather himself up with it. I ran over to him and by the time I realized what was going on my dog was completely covered in doo-doo and stunk to high heaven. I couldn’t believe it. It was disgusting. I somehow walked him back to the street where we lived and found someone hosing down the sidewalk. I knew I couldn’t take the dog inside without cleaning off the crap. I hosed down my little doggie. He hated me for it and never wanted to take a bath again. It was kind of like being sprayed by a skunk and it took several baths to wash out the smell. It was awful in the moment, but it’s a funny memory now!

3) Last but not least. One morning (during college) I woke up late and found myself pressed for time. I grabbed a tee shirt and shorts and threw them on without making time to put on underwear. I ran out the door so I could get to class on time. Luckily the college was only a mile or so away. I ran to my first class and sat there feeling a little chilly. I thought the air conditioning was on full blast. But I survived. I bounced to my next class and as I entered the classroom I felt a draft on my backside. I felt back there and realized the entire backend of my shorts were ripped out and my bare buttkus was hanging out. I was literally embarr-assed. Luckily I had my book bag, so I used it to hide behind until class was over. Whew!

I hope you had a few laughs over my situations. We all have them. I challenge you to find something funny and positive in your life this week. Look back at moments that were not funny when they happened and see if you can find something humorous about them now.

Until next time, keep on trucking and living life on a positive note.

Cheers!