TALK TO THE DADDY

Hello. Come on in. The daddy writes about current events, literature, music and, once in a while, drops something on you from back in the day to make you pause and ponder, stop and stare, and begin to wonder. Who knows? You may start to pace the floor, shake your head from side to side, then fall down on bended knees in a praying position and cry, "Lawd, have mercy! What is this world coming to?" Check yourself! But this blog is NOT about the daddy. It's about you: your boos, your fam, your hood, your country...our hopes and dreams of a better tomorrow. So let's make a pact: the daddy will put it on the track if you'll chase it down and hit him back. Together, we can definitely take it to another level. Shall we?"

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Lesson 9: A Sense Of Humor Can Get You Pass The Hard Times

"Some people see things that are and ask, Why? Some people dream of things that never were and ask, Why not? Some people have to go to work and don't have time for all that." George Carlin
"
I went to Zimbabwe. I know how white people feel in America now; relaxed! Cause when I heard the police car I knew they weren't coming after me! " Richard Pryor

Listen up. The kids are getting to that
age where you don't what they're doing. And in some cases, they've left the nest, and, instead of doing some of the fun things you planned like traveling, you've had to work a little longer, affirming your notion that retirement is not what it used to be.

Maybe you've put the relationship with your former slug, ahh, boyfriend or partner behind you and are now engaged in dating again, a dance fraught with marks and holes on the floor that make you trip at any moment.


In such cases, it may be important for you to keep the one thing you've always had: the ability to laugh at situations, others, and yourself. Yes, now more than ever, it's healthy to keep a sense of humor.

2

Check this. Everything was going alright for the daddy. He was studying for an exam to get his license as a drug counselor. The daddy had been a drug counselor before, but the state of Minnesota told drug counseling agencies that all counselors had to have certification or the agency could lose its license. So the daddy was ready for the exam and was going to take it the next day; and he had stayed up all night studying to make sure he passed. Then tragedy struck.

The daddy got sharp pains on the left side of his stomach, pains so severe that, instead of driving to the location where his exam was being taken, he went to the emergency ward of a hospital. And like a bartender courting an alcoholic's habit, they gave it to him straight/no chaser: he had an intestinal blockage and, if he wanted to live, needed to have an operation the next day.

The daddy knew that getting an operation the next day was the right thing. But did this dampen his fear of hospitals and knives cutting into his body? Of course not. Let's face it: the daddy was scared as hell!

3

Luckily, by some weird, unplanned twist of fate, the daddy began to develop a sense of humor about it all. Now, here's the funny part. The daddy, a long- time counselor, was used to telling everyone things to help them feel better during a crisis situation. But when it came to his own health crisis, he couldn't think of a damn thing. Jesus, even that sorry president George Bush could think of something to say during one of his rare press conferences like " The presidency is hard work" or "No new taxes or "Mission accomplished," even if nothing was accomplished. Suddenly, I began to smile at the irony that, when the table was turned on the daddy and he became the client or the patient, he couldn't help himself. I began to smile and then laugh out- loud, as the nurse took me up an elevator, through dark-lit halls and finally to the station, where I would be prepped for surgery.

When we arrived at the u- shaped station, a nurse said:
"Mr. Walton?"

The daddy was laughing.

" Mr. Walton?"

The daddy was now laughing so hard that he caused the pain in his left side to hurt even more.

"Mr. Walton, are you alright?"

"No," I said. "But I will be. I will be."

4

In my hospital room at the prepping station, the daddy continued to have a sense of humor. When the all-business nurse showed up, the daddy kept it going (her hair was in a bun and her shoes made her look like she was going bowling). When she pulled out a big bottle of white liquid to clean my system, I told her it was a bottle of my favorite chardonnay. The daddy said we weren't in a hospital but an upscale bar in downtown Minneapolis, sipping wine and listening to classic jazz by a trio, hearing a beautiful woman in front of the group sing, "Summertime/and the living is easy/fish are jumping/and the cotton is high..."

"I see, Mr. Walton. You must be a writer or something. But we're getting you ready for an operation. You must follow my instructions. Do you understand?"

"So I guess our date at that upscale bar in downtown Minneapolis will have to wait."

"Evidently, Mr. Walton."

It was the end of her shift, but, before leaving, the nurse dropped in to say goodbye. Her hair down , wearing stylish boots and tight-fitting pants and low-neck sweater, wearing tight pants, she looked like a real human being.

"How are you doing, Mr. Walton . How's the chardonnay going?" Wow. A human being with a sense of humor!

And then with a gentle hand on my shoulder, she said words the words that clearly let me know she understood:

"Mr. Walton, the operation will be fine. They'll bring you back here, and I'll be your nurse tomorrow. Try to get some rest."

5

If a sense of humor can help an average Joe like the daddy, surely it can help destroy the demons in your life. Nothing is easy, but the daddy says a sense of humor can help you get through the hard times.

Have you ever used a sense of humor to get you through a crisis?

12 comments:

SagaciousHillbilly said...

That's a beautiful story. I loved it the first time I read it.
The real beauty is the fact that while getting yourself through with a sense of humor and not taking yourself too serious, you made that nurses day and gave her something she will remember for the rest of her life. Maybe she was a great nurse but sick and tired of whiney patients and was ready to give it all up, then you came along. We just never know the miracles that happen around us.
Thanks for that Sunday greeting Daddy.
I'm gonna go spread some laughter today. . . at my expense.

Vigilante said...

Daddy, just what I needed this morning: Lesson #9. Accept my gratitude! (A small item in your email)

Vigilante said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
♥ CG ♥ said...

I think I spend too much time laughing at life's curve balls. This too shall pass it my mantra.

MacDaddy, I'd like your feedback on my latest post...still can't access my site, huh?

Anonymous said...

Great post! Here's my favorite GC:

How to Stay Young
by George Carlin

1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctor worry about them. That is why you pay him.

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. “An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with us our entire life is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, to the next county, to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them at every opportunity.

And always remember:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments
that take our breath away.

Mac Daddy Tribute Blog said...

Sagacious: I hope you're right: the nurse appreciated my sense of humor under stress, and not just being a jerk. In the end, she seemed a good sport and yet professional.

Vigilante: Thank you, sir.

CurvyGurl: I still can't get in. But I'll read it and let you know on this post. So come back, okay?

Anon: Sweet. I posted this piece on Carlin when he died. He wasn't just a humorist He was a very wise man.

j said...

This is such a great story. I'm happy to read a story where Daddy fools around. You write of such serious things - beautifully. But it's nice to get a smile from you now and then. Thank you for posting this. (Cheers!)

Solomon said...

Great story MacDaddy.

I guess ou made that nurses day. Obviously you came though just finr after the surgery, you're still here!

Mac Daddy Tribute Blog said...

Judy: Thanks . And I hope you're enjoying the blues.

Solomon: I hope I made her day. As I think back on it, she was very nice.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing, Mac. This came at just the right time for me! Keep smiling,
Sarah

Anonymous said...

Yes,I have,Daddy Mac...

That did me a world of good. Just Saturday, I talked with a friend who has to undergo a procedure called the "cyber-knife" because she has advanced lung cancer in her second (and last) lung. She still smokes. She said, "I like two things above all else, Jimmy-a nice cold Pepsi-Cola and cigarettes. I'm not giving up either until I don't want them any longer". She has always lived her life thusly, as did her mother, who she is exactly a copy of...even down to the name. Her mother named her Everal Maria Jr....imagine that. She's one of a dying breed of women who love men but hate their bullshit-and won't tolerate it for one moment. Her mother was married three times, and my friend has been married once-but it ended badly with her putting two slugs in the jaw of her husband (he didn't die but didn't mess with her any longer!!! LOL).

She has a funny way of looking at things also: "Jimmy, if I call you to come down here, I want you to play the role of that famous doctor who put people out of their misery..." We both just laughed, but in the recesses of my mind, I knew she wasn't kidding: "Now, we can't tell anyone so you won't get in trouble after I'm gone..."

She loves life but she isn't wanting to part with her creature comforts nor is she willing to endure the pain of a slow miserable death from lung cancer. Of course, I would never even consider a thing, but I will hold her hand during those last few minutes if she calls me down there.

I have another lady friend who called me last night to tell me that she suspects that she has breast cancer. I assured her that "this too shall pass". She's had everything to happen to her: hysterectomy, emergency gall bladder/appendectomy, brain aneryism (sp) (lazy), high blood pressure out of control, several bouts with double pneumonia, just stuff-she made it through all of that...she'll make it through this too....

All bad reports are NOT death sentences...we all have just NOW to thank God for, for even this day is not promised.

People need to realize this...so those who have chronic illnesses, so-called "terminal" illnesses may live longer than those in perfect health...it's all a matter of time, happenstance and providence...wouldn't you agree?

And so, you are right in making light of it all. My 98-year old aunt said, "just laugh...you'll live longer". She will be 99 in November, God willing..
--James

All-Mi-T [Thought Crime] Rawdawgbuffalo said...

hey folk good luck on the exam - i know u will do it