Laughing Out Loud

As a young boy, I grew up being told by my mother that “Laughter is good for whatever is ailing ya.” Laughter was important in our home because life was constantly filled with problems and the ability to bring levity into our lives was important.

I remember the very first joke my mother told my brother and me. I was around 9 years old, and it went something like this: “Why did the little boy swim on his back?” We didn’t know, and she responded,” So the fish wouldn’t get his worm!” My younger brother didn’t understand the joke, but I was old enough to. Mom always enjoyed a good laugh, and it became my purpose in life to make it happen often. That effort followed me into adulthood and only stopped when she passed away in 1986.

I am still guilty of trying to make my wife smile every day, without exception, and most of the time I am successful. Many times, that flows over to my friends. Sometimes the efforts fail miserably, but I absolutely refuse to let that deter me; I am successful many more times than I fail.

So, here is my most recent favorite joke, and I’m confident it will make you laugh:

There were some counterfeiters who were making fake money. Not only was it good, but it was also near perfection. Unfortunately, they screwed up a batch and made $15 bills instead of $10s or $20s. They looked so real they just couldn’t bear to throw them away.

They opted to travel out into a rural area and pass them off, where they figured the people were a bit slow. They drove way out away from the city and found a small gas station. They went in and walked up to the old man working behind the cash register. They handed him one of their counterfeit bills and asked, “Do you think you can give me change for this?”

The old man looked at it and just stood there… looking at the $15 bill. Quickly, one of them said, “Well, old man, are you going to give me change, or not?”

With a twinkle in his eyes, he slowly replied, “Well, I can give you change, but I don’t know just what you want… I can give you five $3s, maybe two $4s and a $7, or a $3 and a $12.” Which would you prefer? So, in closing, remember to make sure that when you leave home, you have a bag filled with cheer that you can share with others. They will love you for it.