Laughter has been said to be the best medicine and there is statistical evidence that humor does improve one's overall health. Anyone who has ever made someone laugh would probably admit to feeling a sense of gratification in the knowledge that they were the cause of someone's smile.
The ability to laugh at one's mistakes -- to view a circumstance from a different perspective -- is a great step towards a lighter being. For example, many comedians have been reported having tragic lives. The joking they engage in was often a mechanism they created to alleviate their personal pain and to survive. Knowing well the intensity of sadness, what greater joy than to transport someone else from their troubles by making them laugh?
Children so often are a vast source of amusement. With their straight-ahead, rational mind and their candor, they cut through the tangles of adult etiquette and illuminate the irrational and unconventional side of human nature.
Recently, as a reward for a very fine report card, I took my five year old daughter to Disney World. No small sacrifice, as I am the a-typical standing student/artist/writer chronically short of funds. Compounding my impoverished state, I also happened to passionately loathe Mickey Mouse, large crowds and sticky-handed, grabbing, grubby children whining in three different languages.
We raced through the gates, straight to Fantasyland to stop short and wait in the longest line of the day, the Dumbo Ride. Children and adults alike, crammed into the flying elephant carts and whirled around with smiles of glee plastered to their faces bobbing up and down. I stood dutifully below, with the telephoto lens aimed precisely, waiting for that perfect action shot.
The day progressed uneventfully as we woodenly wandered through each children's ride until we came to Adventure Land. A bird-loving friend in our group asked about the Tiki birds -- an attraction I had never experienced before. I began to feel a certain apprehension, a faint fluttering inside. I passed off this bad feeling as the chocolate-covered frozen banana I was eating began running down the side of my finger, on to my wrist and dribbled down my arm. I mumbled something about having heard this attraction as being a very lame musical bird production and I allowed myself to be corralled into the dark coolness of the Tiki Room Theater. I thought to myself, "How bad could it be?"
As the mechanical birds, Pedro and Jose began to emcee this musical, the automatic doors clicked tightly shut, allowing no other little children, or adults for that matter, to run wildly, pushing or shoving their way to get in. Remember the odd feeling I told you about earlier? Well, it began to intensify in the pit of my stomach. I was not too sure if it was because the mechanical birds increased their melodic tone of click-ity-clack, yap-takin', tick-ity-tack (besides, how are mechanical birds suppose to sound anyway?), and kept increasing, to the point where all the birds were yacka-tic-a-nicka to the tune of Tahitian mambas, dust flying everywhere, jaunty robotics bird antics. I began to eye the doors, straining to view a possible way to get out from there!
Quickly I scanned the crowd for similar reactions among the adults, hoping not to be the first parent to spring up from seat and make a fast dash from this gratingly dated attraction. My hopes slipped slightly as I saw the bird-loving person in our group engaged by all the antics of those cheap, chirping songsters. I patiently sat, watching my child's laughter, for how amused she was to view these birds with her child eyes! "When is this going to end!" I thought, as I turned my gaze back towards the only exit -- those large metallic doors. Then, I noticed a slight ray of light emanating through the crack and within this ray, I noticed some desperate teenagers has sought their freedom. How brave they were! They got their courage up and one went to push the door open only to find their freedom to the outside world of enchantment securely inescapable. At that moment, I sympathized to my inner core being, as I watched the teenagers assume their resigned position of "CAPTIVE AUDIENCE."
I glared feverishly at the bird-loving acquaintance, silently vowing to have a word with him afterwards. Meanwhile, the entire flock of birds launched into a full-blown chorus line crescendo, while the Tiki Totems (with eyes and teeth clacking, rickity-takin'), rayed to the rhythms of the stiff stone gorilla drummers flanking the walls! I felt my mind slipping, slipping into a state of . . .
When all of a sudden, some determined hostages from another part of the room sought the exit doors, yet again, and this time, they found a vulnerable spot in the fortress! FREEDOM AT LAST!
As the light streamed from the large, opened mechanical door, I likened it to the proverbial "light at the end of the tunnel." Hope at last! Joy sprung up within me as I leaped to my feet, grabbing my gleefully, grubby, giggly child with me. Grubby, for the ice cream we earlier ate left a large chocolate ring around her mouth. We hurriedly walked toward the doors, I chanting, "Free at last -- yes, we are free at last."
From the corner of my eyes I saw the faces of those who had been trapped with me, stampeding close behind me. "Yes! I am not the only one!" I thought. And cheerfully, the birds behind me continued their tick-ticky-yick-yac-ity-mechanical-slap-hackity-chip-chirpity chorus -- these fine feathered friend of mine.
My walk around Disney was not as unnerving as my group chuckled about the incident. Except, of course, my bird-loving acquaintance who somehow felt cheated for he had not seen the Grande Finale!
So, take it anyway you want. It's better, and much healthier to enjoy the moment, turn the situation around and look at life through a child's eyes for when we begin to enjoy life, we begin to live life.
Renée Kathleen is a freelance photographer/writer/artist who has published in New Mexico and numerous Bay Area publications. Oldsmar (813) 854-5210