Chairlift: Comic mental respite

This wild ride we’re on has become more erratic lately, so I thought it would be nice to share my funniest story. For a few days, I pondered several decades’ worth of stories, trying to distill the funniest one.  

Turns out, it was a mighty powerful exercise and one I suggest trying. 

Lots of my stories are linked to the many years I’ve played soccer. I remembered how we chose the captain of our college soccer team based on who could burp the furthest through the alphabet. 

Few people would include a broken bone in their collection of funny stories, but thanks to my teammates, I can. I’d been pushed, fell and broke my radius during the Summer Games at the Armory fields.  

"You think it’s broken?” I asked multiple times on our way from the soccer field to the hospital. 

Joanie, an orthopedic nurse, and Wanda, a certified athletic trainer, knew it was broken and told me so. They took me to the emergency room despite my insistence that everything was fine. 

We laughed throughout the process, from seeking out help when we found the front desk of the emergency room vacant to making the requisite jokes about my ability to play the piano.  It wasn’t until after the doctor showed me the X-ray that I felt faint. 

“Whoa, can I lie down?” I asked, still giggling. 

“Yes, that’s why you’re on the bed,” the doc answered. 

Later, in the hotel room as we prepared to go out for the night, my teammates enjoyed a good 15 minutes of comedy, watching me fumble with my clothes and try to tie my shoes with my arm in a huge splint.  

This soccer story still amuses my teammates. I contacted Joanie and Wanda to get their take on this event and they were keen to relive it as they recalled the details fondly. 

Wanda said I was in a bit of pain when the doctor was setting the bone and I sang out, “Ohh, doctor.” 

The doctor had already proven he had a sense of humor and replied with a slightly suggestive, “Ohh, Julie.” 

The nurse/X-ray technician, on the contrary, did not share our lightheartedness and scowled at us. 

I could not have been in better hands and it’s hard to imagine anyone having more fun in a hospital than the three of us. 

While searching my brain for funny stories, I remembered family stories, cases of mistaken identity and multiple farces from my college days. 

Whether you relate to my stories or not, the act of trying to think of your own funniest story will take you on a pleasant path. It will remind you of things that make you laugh, give your mind a break and lift your spirits.