Have you noticed how serious some people are today? Politics, the economy, and other daily stressors tend to make some people very agitated when really there is not much we can do about it other than try to be kind to each other daily. Part of that kindness is to get a laugh out of people and for a brief moment, they forget their troubles and laugh at the situation. In my case, I self- deprecate to elicit that laugh. Take last week for example. It was my nephew’s birthday. He was not happy about turning 31, but I told him I have socks older than him. That got a good laugh from him even though Richard tends to be fairly serious. For a brief moment, he realized that his Uncle Pat made him feel better. I enjoyed hearing him laugh.

In the last blog post, I talked about getting hit in the head with a chipped ham sandwich while riding my road bike. Not too funny at the time especially with what the driver had to say to me, but funny today thinking about it. And the best part- funny to all of you . Admit it. A chipped ham sandwich……..whack……right in the back of the helmet. With mayo!!!

Speaking of road riding- have any of you riders noticed how serious some road riders tend to be? I happen to be friendly on rides and when we pass a group of road riders, oftentimes they don’t say hello and kind of give you a scowl like they are in the Tour de France or something? I chuckle and think to myself, nobody is going to the Olympics on your ride…….lighten up.

I think the main reason a lot of people like to ride or ski with me is I make them laugh. We jokingly talk about mishaps on the ride or on the slopes. And I bring up some inane conversation that has nothing to do with the ride. I just try to make them laugh while we are killing each other up some hill. My friend Porter always laughs when he reminds me that I took out a whole PSIA clinic group one time on the ski slopes. They were all serious involved in a conversation about technique when I skied down to talk to them, crossed my tips, and took out the whole group like bowling pins including the examiner conducting the clinic. I was embarrassed at the time. But now……..it is one of the funny things Porter remembers. He always says” a level III certified guy cleans out the whole group!” You would think I would know better, but it gets a laugh every time Porter and Tim bring it up.

I also like to create things to get a laugh. Like when Bob Anderson and the Shark and I visited Snowshoe, West Virginia for the World Cup Mountain Bike Races. Shark is a character and Bob and I saw a free table in the expo area. We set up a makeshift meet and greet so that the UCI mountain bike community could meet the Shark. People didn’t quite know what to make of it, but you would be amazed at the riders and their entourage who came over to meet the Shark. We had a lot of laughs about that. Especially since Bob A tends to be on the serious side……………until you get a big belly laugh from him. Doesn’t take much. LOL!!!

I have a lot of fun riding mountain bikes and skiing because I don’t take things too seriously and a laugh on the chairlift or on the trail is well worth my effort. I like to brighten people’s day and getting a laugh out of them is always a fun pursuit.

There are so many funny things that occur during the day and if you take the time to capture them, have fun with them, and get a smile out of someone, you have done a good thing for people. I make my wife Janet laugh every day and even though my son Jack often doesn’t appreciate my humor, I like to get a laugh from him as well. Remember- dads are dorks and it is a challenge to overcome that. But oftentimes I relish my role as ………………the dork.

Surround yourself with fun people and your life will be so enriched. Things are tough today. There is a lot of division, bitterness, and bad blood, but if you can make the best of it, look on the bright side of life, and don’t get hung up on the news, your life will be so much more fulfilling. Don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself either. So many people are insecure that they don’t like to make fun of themselves. I don’t know how secure I am, but I don’t have any trouble making fun of myself. It makes other people laugh, and for that………………I am happy. My mother always said, ” happiness is like a perfume…..you can’t sprinkle it on others without getting a little bit on yourself.” No truer words have been said and my mother was…………..a character. Thanks for reading.