The Fine Art of Having Fun

I once worked with a young woman who had incredible talent as a writer, but was most appreciated for her unusual sense of humor. Nothing was safe from her barbed wit. If you said you “love chocolate” she would whip back, “Well, why don’t you marry it?” No matter what you loved, she would suggest the nuptials.

She had several girlfriends and before they all got boyfriends and husbands, the “girls” would go out on Fridays to some of the more popular watering holes. Debbie (not her real name and she would gag if she knew I dubbed her “Debbie”) and friends had a unique way to preserve their privacy and have a fun fantasy life as well.

They not only made up new names, they made up entire careers. Debbie had a fantastic imagination, along with knowing a little bit about a lot of things, so her careers were a bit more inventive than her friends. One time she had just gotten out of surgery after delivering a baby by cesarean. Another time she had just flown in from some exotic island where she had been digging in Mayan ruins. She would also mumble about CIA connections, being in the witness protection program, or, “Sorry, it’s classified.”

One of her best pranks, with the help of a friend, was to shadow a third girlfriend who had gone to meet a blind date in a restaurant. Of course, the two “shadows” decided to go in disguise, but funds were low, so they had to settle for wigs – really bad, long, jet black “Elvira” wigs. If that wasn’t bad enough, they wore sunglasses. The girlfriend meeting the young man spotted them right away. In fact, everyone in the whole restaurant spotted them. Debbie was unfazed by the stares of diners and staff alike as she and her accomplice plopped down two tables away.

The friend with the date tried hard not to burst out in laughter, but the sight of the those two in their really, really bad disguises was more than she could contain. The poor guy she was meeting had no idea what was wrong with his date and was probably thinking she was having some sort of spasm and maybe he should just get up and run. After several awkward minutes, the date suddenly remembered his house was on fire, threw some cash on the table for the drinks and bolted for the door.

The three amigos decided the guy was not the right type anyway and had no spirit of adventure, so they ordered a round of margaritas and toasted their friendship. After that adventure, however, the woman with the blind date never told the other two the “when or where” when meeting a date for the first time.

The point is that Debbie had a lot of fun and the people around her had a lot of fun. Her wit was spontaneous, sharp and to the point, but never mean or nasty. She found humor in most situations and never took herself – or others – very seriously.

Life is way to serious. We need more Debbies.