Waffling

I'm reading a book called Becoming a Humor Being by comedian Steve Rizzo, who promotes laughter as a way to replace fear and anger as we deal with life's challenges. I think the book's message could have been bottled into one concise chapter, but each sip as I pick the volume off my nightstand again reminds me that I could be much happier if only I laughed more. Maybe the repetition is good.

Sometimes, Rizzo says, we need to create something absurd to invite laughter in.

Someone left a messy waffle iron on the kitchen counter. Someone cooked bacon in it, and didn't drain the grease before it hardened. In his defense, Someone said the Food Network told him to cook bacon this way. Probably a great idea -- bacon gets cooked very evenly top and bottom this method, a great idea -- IF your waffle iron grills can be submersed in water, or if you never care to use that particular appliance again. AARGH!! I hate bacon grease with a passion. I asked Someone two days ago to please, please clean this mess.

This afternoon, resigned to my waffle iron fate, I could have been angry. Instead I laughed at the neatly printed invoice I would create, detailing the number of minutes I spent cleaning the appliance, payable in equal minutes of back-scratching.

Ridiculous? Absurd? You betcha. But for the nine minutes I was scraping grease from dozens of grooves with an ittty bitty spoon, my mind was in a happy place, far from angry.

I hope Someone laughs too.