Speaking of experimenting. Each family in return would fly
or make the long drive to Takoma Maryland, and this year's guest was the Fisher
family. I had been having so much fun running around the Washington D.C. Mall
and its many museums, and historical features that as a boy I knew all so well.
I was at opening day of the Air and Space museum and loved finding the supper
cool museum of history snuck away full of great Engines of the past. It was on
one these trips I tried an experiment, a simple experiment. How long would it
take me to get everybody to laugh at once by the pure act of just laughing. I
knew Mark was a shoe in and Mary might fall into giggles as I laughed and
laughed. I laughed even harder when first Mark kept looking at me and I would
look back and laugh at my secret experiment. "What are you laughing
at?" he kept saying. Over and over for the first hour or so. I was really
dug into this experiment and decided to see it to its end, and longer I did it,
the plain just rootin-tootin, he-haw, of
the whole thing had me shaking in the seat and sliding down to the floor of the
station wagon in a mini-crouch my body in convulsions from my personal joke,
this was the 70's we had no seat belts and kids still clamored around the
inside of cars like a jungle gym. I keep laughing in different tones by now as
I had Mark beginning to bubble in
laughter, he would look then look like I was being disobedient then start
laughing and quickly turn, I would laugh harder. The thing, the true art of
laughter is to laugh so hard you can't stop, just for that moment you can't
stop, heaving, eye's well up in tears, back arched, kicking your feet laughter,
rolling off whatever piece of furniture, down out, twisting and turning laughter,
and really to do that well you need back up. I had a car full. It was Mary
next, and even John, or Becky, or even
Joe would look back to see what was so funny.
Joe would make his noise, with a lip finish like "BBBBBB" real
fast, then a little laugh, Mary started watching cause I had Mark now going
full on, then unison to voices captured the first word ,"What?"
"What,.. is so
funny?" now it became more than a laugh someone else had said, "What"
I laughed, so hard bent over my gut began to hurt by then, and my face had a
work out straining to keep the laughter from over whelming me. I waited
laughing. Mary started watching Mark and I more closely and soon her intermittent
laughter began dancing in and out of our melee. I was determined, and at this point
I had been laughing just after I got the idea as I passed through the closet upstairs heading to the
bathroom to brush my teeth. I laughed dressed had breakfast, got in the car and
headed down town a good solid 2 hours of laughing. At some point Uncle Jim
started saying, "What is he laughing at.?" snapping his voice in
question with a grin on his face as he turned to look at what might have caused
such a stir while driving. I had them all now and I reeled them in for the
grand crescendo. Uncle Jim keep asking what is he laughing at until the wall fell,
one by one, and then Uncle Jim started just hooting, and cracking back while he
drove. Aunt Cathy was patting her leg and laughing just straight ahead after
one look at all of us in the back seats she was all in, kids laughing "ya
know?" We all lay into the greatest conglomeration of squeals, haw haw's,
BBBBB,s who-ha-inest, lay on the plastic mats on the floor looking up at the
ash tray we filled with rocks for grandpa laughing. Well that is where I wound
up., everyone laughed; they loose from that station wagon what could be to an
looker at that time to be complete hysterics. Experiment a success, I let my
laughter slow; you see when you been laughing that hard it's dangerous to
completely stop, you got to ease on the brakes. Everyone slowly began to fall
out of the symphony of laughter, I tapped again. Mark hit a pole, and lost it.
Cathy and the other girls hair gone wild were trying to right themselves after
being caught in the torrent, Joe he just 'BBBB" and was out. Jim was attempting
to navigate downtown D.C. for the first time "OMG" and regain the car
from a endless circle we got caught in while we hooted, and then hollering went
straight, Mary picked her head out of the windshield cause she had bounced a
seat up, and Mark was turning donuts around the tree cracking up wildly hanging
on to his part. I tapped the brakes again, my breathing in wisps' and ahh,
laugh, ahh breath, laugh, swinging an arm in silence fending off the humor, in
a few minuets we were down to chuckle, and one more time from the front seat Uncle
Jim asked, "What is so...Funny?"
I said, "We are. Pausing again to catch another breath,
"I wanted to see how long it took for everyone to laugh if I just started
laughing, and we did."
Uncle Jims amazement
showed that a nine year old kid could come up with such ideas really astounded
him, and gave me a few more seconds of strong laughter as everybody got the
simple joke of life is to laugh sometimes, just for the sake of it. I fully
agreed, was sore and still on a come down gut and lungs shot, trying not to let
few a last round or two but still in the eddy, I would laugh throughout the
day, as we visited the museums, often getting another to fall back into it
often Mary, and Mark would not be able to go in anyplace with me where you had
to be quiet. A few funny looks from me and that tickle was still there and we
would run from some exhibit area laughing at life, the whole day was infected
with a humor that should not be left alone too long with kids.
THOR 
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