It is to laugh

Louise used to say she married me for my sense of humor. I hope I had a couple of other attributes that were sufficiently persuasive to have her say yes but if that is her thinking it's O.K. by me. I like to laugh and smile and do most anything indicative of being happy. So, back to humor and how I acquired an ability to get people to enjoy small instances that were worth at least a smile. I think it began as a sophomore in high school and I used to hang out with a new friend named Bernie Sandler. He was a very funny guy with an uncanny ability to make quips, witticisms or a variety of points of humor that made me laugh---not good old thigh slapping laughs, but most any kind fun type. I began to study this characteristic of Bernies and began to realize that by and large he looked at general conversation and found humor in some point. I began to emulate this and found if I worked at it I could make with the jokes too. Not that I was as good as Bernie, far from it . I was the apprentice to his tutoring. I never saw Bernie after graduation but heard he went on to become a disc jockey at a radio station. He would be great at that.

I just went on developing a small ability to make people smile. I did have a good memory to recall a joke and where they would fit into a conversation. I had the reputation and was mentioned as the "Wittiest" in our school magazine. I thought I knew other guys that deserved that title more but I'll accept it. I do feel that I had worked at this subject sufficiently hard to be almost as good as my mentor, Bernie. I never reached the point to be able to challenge Jim Moynihan. At 5:30 in the morning, he was the funniest guy I ever met. If I stayed over at his house or a motel or such, I began to laugh at him the minute his foot hit the floor and it was all a riot! Later in the day he was still making the laughable comments but not as hilarious as in the early morning.

I never liked most dirty jokes. I liked the quick and cutesy ones. My old standby that my kids have come to know is about the fellow that was half Jewish and half Japanese and on December 7 he would attack Pearl Goldstein. Most people alive today don't remember that Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7, 1941 so I must be careful where I tell that joke and to whom. It ain't funny unless you know history!! One of my problems was that in various conversations if I heard any comments, it became an opportunity to make some quip which sometimes wasn't appreciated. I had created a monster that had control over me.

I could go on a long time throwing out jokes and such but space precludes my doing so but I can't close with out giving a greater example of what I mean by the above. When Louise was near the end, Marcie and Linda were cleaning her up and I was holding her against my chest, The girls were laughing about something and Louise weakly remarked "It sounds like you are having a party back there" at which point I said "Yes, Louise and you are the party poop" Here I am with my dear, sweet Louise on the verge of death and I have to make a comment like that. Could it be at a worse moment ? But what does Louise say? Muffled against my chest, hardly able to utter a sound, she faintly said,"Oh Jim, that's funny!!