Having the ability to laugh at yourself is a gift, especially at the Holidays. God help those who don’t know how.
One of the best gifts we can give ourselves is permission to laugh; especially when you can laugh at yourself. Even better, allow a good hardy snort every now and again.
A few years ago, I was speaking at an after dinner Holiday banquet. The gentleman in charge stood up before my introduction and made this statement:
“Before I introduce our speaker, I would like for all the ho’s to stand. Let’s show our ho’s how much we love them!”
I could not believe my ears. Then he continued. “Is the head ho here?” This nice looking woman stood and just beamed. Suddenly, a friend of mine at the head table got in my face and said with pride, “I was the head ho last year.”
I was stunned; my head started to spin. For a few seconds I honestly could not remember where I was and what group I was speaking to. Was this a group of “Girls-Gone-Wild” retirees?
After a quick glance at the program, I remembered I was speaking to a civic group. Oh, yes, and these folks loved to laugh and have fun. My introduction was delivered and I as stood in front of that lovely group of men and women I could not help myself.
“Okay,” I said, “What is with the ho’s? Adding to my confusion, my head table friend just told me she was head ho last year. I did not know if I should pray for her, offer congratulations, or both.”
Laughter broke out all over the banquet hall as they proceeded to explain that these ladies called themselves the HOSE Circle. They had no clue how it sounded – they named their group after a very respected hard-working member.
The night was tons of fun, just like I knew it would be. That group was full of energy and their love for life and humor made the evening unforgettable.
It is just something to be said about getting a little older and being able to laugh at things with people who enjoy laughing, too.
Look for laughter every day and pass it on.
