Fun Friday – What makes you laugh? 3 Tips for adding humor in your day

...when your child agrees to give you a pedicure

It’s 6:00am, you reluctantly roll out of bed with thoughts of your busy day ahead. You have already started your day in anxiety mode. Sometimes we have to take a step back and learn to relax. Create a morning routine that you can ease into and develop a way to add humor to your day.

One of my favorite scriptures is, “Be anxious for nothing…” (Philippians 4:6). My goal each day is to find a reason to smile or laugh, even if it’s at my own expense.

This morning I stopped for a cup of coffee from my favorite spot. The drive thru line was long, so I parked the car and jumped out. As I approached the door to the restaurant, I saw a hand written note taped to the door. It read, “Not open until 8am, due to short staff.”

As I walked back to my car I thought, “Why is it the short people’s fault?” Just the way my mind works sometimes. We have to learn to uncover the humor in situations that can seem unpleasant or frustrating.

The other day I wanted to make bacon for breakfast. I asked my sleeping son if he wanted any bacon. He replied with a muffled, “No thanks.” Back in the kitchen, I turned on the griddle, which my son had not cleaned since the last time he burned cooked something.

Once the dried grease heated, I used a metal spatula to push it into the reservoir that catches grease from the food as it cooks. Black grit particles began to pop into the air, some landed on my arms as well as the food canisters stationed behind the griddle. I couldn’t identify whether the particles were from the worn out surface of the griddle or from burned food that was stuck there.

After scrapping and pushing gunk across the griddle, I no longer wanted bacon. I didn’t realize cooking bacon would require me to have a Hazmat (hazardous materials) certification. No wonder my son declined the offer of bacon. All I could say was, I have my next blog post. Sometimes funny stuff just follows me.

What makes you laugh? Find ways to uncover humor in situations you experience. Here are 3 tips to get you started.

1.      Uncover the humor in tense situations – it’s the same as saying, “When life deals you lemons, make lemonade.” Find a positive outcome for the situation.

2.      Read a funny joke – I have a Reader’s Digest book on my desk at work that's filled with pages and pages or jokes and funny situations. It’s my “go to” when I need a breather.

3.      Watch a funny video – there are numerous short videos on YouTube with comedians speaking on any and every topic you can imagine. Take a quick break in your day and watch a couple of 3 or 4 minute videos.

What are your suggestions for adding humor to the day?