FUN FRIDAY--A REAL JOKE

Perhaps the funniest joke in the world...

The Moment

When we were visiting our daughter, we went out to eat one night. It was a warm night, so we were sitting outside, and the table near us had a family with two young boys, maybe ages 5 and 7. While I didn’t mean to eavesdrop on their conversation, it was quite easy to hear what the boys were saying--and I loved being next to their joy!

At one point during their dinner, the older boy announced that he had a joke to share. He took a deep breath, waiting until he had everyone’s attention. With gusto he began:

“How do you get an elephant in the fridge?”

Everyone paused.

Even I racked my brain. What creative answer is there for an elephant in the fridge? Why would an elephant be in the fridge?

The boy waited with the perfect timing of a staged comedian. He asked for suggestions. He wondered if anyone could answer this joke.

At last, no one could, so he gathered himself, puffed out his chest and replied, “You open the door and stuff him in. Then you close the door.”

I bit my lip as a giggle wanted to erupt inside of me. Not due to the answer, but due to the fact that this child had used the timing of comedian for a joke he made up. Maybe he was still thinking up the answer as he waited for others to offer their ideas.

If you wrote this joke in a book, it might not be funny at all. Yet in this moment, his family erupted in laughter. The joy was in his own answer--his own joke.

The Freedom

I’ve been pondering that moment. As an adult, I feel more freedom to laugh at my own jokes or even at myself. I like that. It’s a part of childhood that is coming full circle after the teen and young adult years of wondering what people would think. We are free to make up our own jokes. Laugh at whatever makes us chuckle--AND even make up things that make us smile.

My inner child is delighted in this.

What About You?

Do you laugh at your own jokes? Do you like to make up your own riddles?