Punchline

Telling a story or joke with a flair takes real talent.

Occasionally, I succeed in doing so, but most of the time, I get the strangest looks and dead silence.

Which is fine.

Reality dictates that we don't all think the same things are funny.

Take the time that I had volunteered to help a family move into our ward. I rearranged my schedule, got a sitter for my kid and borrowed a big moving truck from my husband's employer at no cost to this poor family other than help on the gas bill to move their furnishings.

We got together and I fired up the big truck and headed to the nearest gas station to fill up for the trip. Turning down a side road to get to my favorite station, life took one of those unexpected turns. Forgetting the railroad overpass was too short for the big rig, I managed to peel back about 4 feet of the box and end the moving trip in one fell swoop.

The lady whom I was trying to help was literally on the ground laughing her head off.

I was in tears because we would have to pay for the damage to the truck and any damage to the overpass.

As if stupidity isn't its own reward, this "kind" lady spared no time at all telling everyone she could find what a complete loser I was and how I had wrecked the truck.

Needless to say, others enjoyed laughing at my error for months to come.

It didn't exactly seal our friendship.

When I was growing up, I was taught that laughing at someone else's misfortune was rude and inappropriate. Now we have entire television shows dedicated to just that premise. We are encouraged not only to laugh at the mistakes, accidents and errors of another, but to videotape them and send them in for the chance to win cash and prizes in front of a live studio audience.

Some of the best moments of humor come from human weaknesses and foibles, but I don't like humor that belittles someone else. The hard part is defining what is something to laugh at and what is something to laugh with them over and what should just be kept quiet.

When someone is injured is never funny, no matter how they got injured. Even redneck stunts gone awry isn't a laughing matter. I've been in too many hospital emergency rooms and worked for doctors cleaning up the mess after those 'funny' stunts.

And, when someone has been publicly humiliated is no laughing matter. Even when other people thing they 'deserved it', I can't help but think of that child of God who has just been made to feel like they were lower than dirt just so someone else can score points in front of people who don't really care about either of them.

My parents had a book of jokes called "G-Rated Jokes and Other Rarities" when I was growing up. It was the singularly funniest book in the house. While there were other funny books and stories in the bookshelf, this one was geared to having a good time and not making other people feel bad in the process.

I guess the issue here is learning that humor isn't a universal concept. There are some things that simply will never be funny to everyone on the planet. The real art in humor is knowing just how much to say and how much to leave out in order to keep feelings from being doormats and to make everyone feel welcome instead of picked on.

I end with what I believe to be a pretty good joke that is of human nature. It won't be universal in appeal. But I think most people can relate to the generic streak of circumstance in it:

Bubba walked into a doctor's office and the receptionist asked him what he had.

Bubba said: "Shingles." So she wrote down his name, address, medical insurance number and told him to have a seat.

Fifteen minutes later a nurse's aide came out and asked Bubba what he had. Bubba said, "Shingles." So she wrote down his height, weight, a complete medical history and told Bubba to wait in the examining room.

A half hour later a nurse came in and asked Bubba what he had. Bubba said, "Shingles." So the nurse gave Bubba a blood test, a blood pressure test, an electrocardiogram, and told Bubba to take off all his clothes and wait for the doctor.

An hour later the doctor came in and found Bubba sitting patiently in the nude and asked Bubba what he had. Bubba said, "Shingles."

The doctor asked, "Where?"

Bubba said, "Outside on the truck. Where do you want me to unload 'em??"