I noticed years ago that I would work with others on some committee project but we often would up doing something that was quite surprising to me. I usually had a feeling of momentum, of traveling on a good road toward a good goal but often about ¾ of the way, the group would take a sharp turn toward a modification or even what I thought was quite a different sort of end. I didn't usually feel horrified or endangered. I never felt that I had to resign in protest and distance myself from the work.
That surprising twist business has multiplied and amplified over the years. I have been told that people laugh outloud when a joke or something completely surprises them. This would be a good place for me to insert a joke but I couldn't find any that seemed sufficiently adult and sophisticated. The point is that when someone is surprised more or less pleasantly, they may laugh. As I age, I observe things in my mind, things among friends and relatives, things in the media that are funny. There are days when I have so many delightful things happen by dinnertime that I sit down to supper with a sore, tired face. My smiling muscles are tired and my laughing muscles need a rest.
So here is a double warning.
If you can't find me sometime, check in the hospital. I might have been so overcome by laughter, mirth and humor that I was rushed to the ER. I might be on oxygen for a little while, while trying to catch my breath and return to normal. It is not that easy to be sober and somber these days.
If you are younger (less than 70 years old), don't be too surprised if people, politicians, and preposterous situations and comments seem to pop up around you as you age, filling you with laugher and chuckles. If that happens, just take it as a sign that you still have good judgment and keen eyes.
