Have you ever read through a dating ad in the classifieds? People write little lines like Enjoys long walks on the beach, Wants to see the world, or Must love dogs to sum up who they are in 100 characters or less. After a great deal of thought, I've decided if I had ever needed a dating ad, my tagline would have been Laughs at funerals.
That's right. My name is Katherine, and I laugh at inappropriate times.
It's a problem I've been cursed with my whole life.
My husband is actually the one who suggested I name this blog Laughs at Funerals because, as he claims, it perfectly explains who I am. He meant it as a compliment . . . I think. And bless him, he's had plenty of experience with my inappropriate laughter. I mean, I laughed in his face when he proposed! Now wait a minute, before you go feeling all sorry for him, he should have known what to expect--I laughed the first time he kissed me too.
As inappropriate as that laughter was, no experience can top the time I laughed at a my friend's grandmother's funeral. That's right, while everyone was wiping away tears, I was trying with all my might to suppress the full-on belly laugh that was trying to escape. The worst part was, the madder my mom got at me for laughing, the harder I laughed, and pretty soon the whole pew was shaking. That sentence makes it sound like I was a little kid when this happened . . . I was 21.
Seriously, though, I had a good reason to laugh. In the middle of the service, a fond memory of the deceased popped into my head, and all I could picture was her in a camisole, hanging out of a bathroom window, flagging me down so I could knock on the door and tell her husband and son, who were both oblivious to her incessant banging, she was locked in the upstairs bathroom. So I got tickled. So sue me.
But think about it. Is laughing at a funeral really that bad? After all, shouldn't we be celebrating life and the person we love? In the craziness of the daily grind, it's easy to get caught up in the negative. I'll admit, it can be difficult to find the joy in some situations. In those times, we may just have to fake it til we make it because the bottom line is, life is short, and we only get one chance to live it the way we want to. I don't know about you, but I want to live my life so that at my funeral, people will remember that I laughed.
In terms of my inappropriate laughter, I would like to say I've gotten better, that I no longer laugh at the wrong time or in the wrong place, but that would be a lie. Just know, if you fall, I'll help you up, but I'll be laughing the whole time.
Do you laugh at inappropriate times too? Let me know in the comments below.