A Serious Article About Being Funny
Have I Forgotten How to Be Funny?
Sometimes the pressure to write funny articles starts to get to me. They won't like me if I'm not funny, I think. And I fondly remember my early years, when no one knew I was funny. It was my big secret. No one said, "Poor Maria, she used to be funny, but now she's kinda boring." No, they just expected me to be quiet and boring, and I was, for the most part.
The first time I made anyone laugh in school was...Uh, I better back up and explain this game we used to play in music class in grade school. I went to a Catholic grade school, not that it has any bearing on this particular story. Most of my teachers were not nuns-that's a common misconception. Anyway, my non-nun music teacher let us play this game at the end of music class, where someone would go stand in the corner and cover his eyes while someone else went to the back of the room and said the other person's name. The person standing in the corner, not peeking, had three chances to guess who was saying his name.
Most people didn't try to disguise their voices, which made for a fairly ho-hum game. When it was my turn to say Darren's name, I put on a little show. I have no idea why I decided to break out of my shell that day, but I did. I used a different voice every time: High and squeaky the first time. Low and menacing the second time. Warbly and goofy the last time, like Captain Caveman. Duh-AH-ah-AH-rr-RR-rr-ennnn!
Darren was clueless. He thought I was one of his friends, trying to trick him. Lisa? Everyone snickered. Tom? More giggles. Eric? Roars of laughter. I'll never forget the look on Darren's face when he turned around and saw me, standing and blushing in the back of the classroom. Maria?! Sweet, shy, smart, serious Maria?!
Yeah, I fooled Darren good. I continued to fool my classmates, all the way through high school and college. The only time I was consistently "funny" was when I wrote stories or letters or personal essays.
I still wear a thick "sweet, shy, smart, serious" shell. It disappears when I write and when I'm around my husband, kids, and close friends. I'm scared to get rid of it for good. Being funny is only part of my "real" personality; there's also a serious side buried in there-a serious side far more serious than the "fake" serious side I present to the world. The dark, fearful, judgmental, angry parts of me hide beneath the humor.
Sometimes I think I've forgotten how to be funny. But that can't be true. I've just had a lot of unfunny stuff happen lately, that's all.
Like, right now I'm sitting next to my daughter in her hospital bed. She's tired of being here; I'm tired of being here. But I'm sure there are still plenty of funny observations I could make. Do you know it took me three days to realize that the guys on the Camp Rock stickers plastered all over this room are The Jonas Brothers? I kept thinking that they looked familiar. If I ever went to a place called "Camp Rock," I would not expect (or want) to see The Jonas Brothers performing.
As long as I can still make my daughter laugh, things are fine. She's easily amused. Any of these words will generally do the trick: butt, poop, fart, diaper, underwear, stinky feet, armpit, silly, weird, crazy.
Have a poopy, farty, stinky, crazy, silly, weird, good day! Thanks for keeping my daughter in your thoughts and prayers.
I can't wait till I'm funny again.
(Audrey's CarePage blog: https://www.carepages.com/carepages/roth377)
Published by Maria Roth
I love popcorn, cashews, cheesecake, Jane Austen, my husband and children, and Conan O'Brien. Why should you be jealous of me? I am double-jointed in both thumbs, I live in Kansas, I'm tall, and I'm modest... View profile
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63 Comments
Post a CommentThanks for writing this article. I thought I was the only one who sometimes can't see the funny side.
If you can please your child, that is worth it.
This one brought tears to my eyes. As a mom myself, I know just how important it is to make a child smile or even laugh when they are faced with difficult situations. Hope your little one is okay and that you are both laughing with glee.
People are boring if they don't have some sense of humor. Great article. Very well-written.
Well, poop. I like your funny stuff just as much as your not so funny stuff, if not more. Also, in my experience, the lay teachers were actually meaner than the nuns; I think they were overcompensating.
I think you're wonderfully funny and witty, Maria! Even when you may not see it in yourself, we all know its there. We love the serious side, as well, so you just roll out with whatever is comfortable for you, and you KNOW we'll be hear to read it. Stinky armpit farts, Jenn.
You know... I think the strangest thing is that it seems that the most delightfully funny of folks tend to be the ones who had suffered more than their fair shares in real life. :o) So being funny is sometimes more a sign of a true survivor than a sign of 'happiness'. I bet your kids are learning loads of good stuff from you! :o)
I once read that words with a K in them are the funniest. Ha...
I believe I am the 60th person to comment. Dang. Funny or not, we want to read your stuff. By the way, my husband has the same sense of humor. For our engagement pictures a couple of years ago, I had to say, "smelly pits" to get him to have a natural smile. It worked, though. :)
Oops, sorry Maria, I forgot to bleep a word out.