Stories

Have you ever had a funny or hilarious story that you wanted to share about yourself or some poor unfortunate soul? No, I am not speaking of gossip or slandering someone's name or dignity. I am speaking of down right hilarity. Here are a few stories that you may or may not enjoy.

Laugh along with me.

When I was five I had the common sense to not play in mud. What I did not have the common sense for was listening to friends younger than me tell me that I should play in the mud with them. Let me just say that I sat in mud "nekked" (as an Okie would say) with my friend Shelby. My sister sat in a tree yelling at me not to do it, but I the smart one, ignored her. I laughed. Oh how I laughed. Until mum ran in the backyard because my sister ran home to tell on me. I am pretty sure my bum never was so soar. Poor dad. He had to deal with my nonsensical attitude for many years.

The next incident went something like this...

I was ten. Smart. Growing. My pants were getting too tight and I was beginning to look like Steve Erkle in high-waters. The only thing I was missing was the suspenders. Anyhow, dad told me that we were going to the mall to get me some new jeans. Ohhhh how excited I was for this did not happen often at all. In fact I could not remember the time before that I gotten new jeans. A year? Two?

As we got to the mall, a pair of nice, deep blue jeans caught my attention at a display. They shone like a star from the heavens. I was so excited, and although they were some of the more expensive pair in the lot my dad bought them for me. His only request, "Michelle, now I know you like to run and play so you are only allowed to wear these jeans to school and church." My heart sunk. What ten-year-old girl wants to wait to wear their new jeans to school??

The next morning I woke thinking of my beautiful new jeans. I laid in bed thinking over them and their clean and new smell. I decided that I was going to wear them. It was not a school day, in fact it was a play day. I went over to my friend Meagan's at 8:30 a.m. We played house outside, climbed a tree. So far, my jeans were doing awesome and Meagan had already complimented me on my new jeans about five times. Life was good.

After a while I was getting bored and so was Meagan. We decided to climb the metal chain-link fence to our friend Krystalin's house. I'd done it a million times, what could be so different today?

I climbed the fence, but the shoes that I was wearing were slippery and fell off as I was nearing the top of the fence. As the shoes fell, so did I. Only I did not fall to the ground, my bum pierced the top of the chain-link fence. I began to panic as my friend Meagan's dad was washing his car and looked up to see me at the top of his fence, stuck. Nervous. Embarrassed. Laughing. I could not believe I was stuck. I began to panic even more as I knew my dad's wrath would be upon me once I reached home. I cried over my new jeans being torn and I knew that since my mum was not a sewer there was no chance to revive my new, beautiful, jeans. I somehow freed my sore self off the fence by jumping up really quickly and falling to scrape my hands. I ran to my friend's house to cry to her mum. I was instructed to go home. Great. Home. Dad. Mum. Sister. Brother. They were all going to laugh at me.

Once I reached home, my mum looked at me worried. She had seen that I had been crying, but saw no reason for me to be. Until I turned around. I expected mum to scream or spank or throw things (my mum was not one to do these things). Instead she cupped her hand to her face and hid a smile. And then a laugh. I ran into my room hoping to lay down to cry. To feel sorry for myself, but it did not last long. I began to laugh with my mum because of the pain I had caused myself. I decided it was best to laugh instead of cry. It helped and I truly believe that the laughter helped heal me quicker.

Oh goodness. The memories flood by. I have made some very silly mistakes, hurt myself more times than I can count, sprained and strained both of my shoulders, my wrists, my ankles, my left knee, popped my hips out of place, broken bones, received stitches. Through all of my mistakes I have learned to be glad for them. I have memories that will last my whole life. The lessons my memories have taught me are worth more than any class that I could have taken and the laughs all of my mistakes have caused have helped me learn to not take myself too seriously-although I think about life "too" seriously more often than I would like.

I suppose the purpose of this post is to think about life, and through your mistakes and mishaps think of what can make you laugh and let go of the things you cannot control...which in this life means pretty much everything.

Life is too short to be lived over analyzing and judging others. Jump out of the movie screen and do something. Do what you love. If you do not know what you love try new things that spark your interest. Open your eyes to a whole new world of opportunities and never stop challenging yourself, even if it means being scared.

Blessings