Category Archives: Laughing Is Essential

One of my long-time, worst character flaws is my inability to be quiet when something strikes me as funny. I honestly don’t know where this came from, and I have real trouble controlling it even now, when I’m older than dirt.

When it is absolutely the most inappropriate time to giggle, snort, chortle, smirk, I do it. I have tried all kinds of things to control it. If someone catches my eye, though, I’m gone. I simply have to get up and leave.

When I was a child my mom would sit on me hard about it, but the more angry she got, and the more inappropriate my laughing was, the harder I did – to the point I was almost sick. My stomach hurt. Tears ran down my face. I knew I was really in trouble and I was sure I would be a problem for days with my mom, but I honestly couldn’t control it. If someone else was there with me, stopping was simply impossible. I would stop. We would look at each other and one of us would cave, erupting into laughter again, causing the other to fall apart, too.

I’m not as blatant about it as I used to be. I avoid any situation that I can where the problem might occur, but I FEEL it, way down deep inside, trying to make its way up and out…

Don’t look at me! Don’t laugh. PLEASE!!!!!!!!!