Areas of His Expertise

John Hodgman is hilarious in print and in his interview with Robert Siegel on NPR on September 5. Enjoy. Don't forget to download and view Th Secret Life of NPR or to purchase his book, The Areas of My Expertise.

You really do need to take a break from serious thoughts from time to time and laugh at absurdity if you intend to survive with a sound mind. I'm serious. Humor is no laughing matter.

Here are some suggestions (from me) for embracing the HUMOR in life:

Humility - The essence of humor is the ability to laugh at oneself. It is not self-deprecation; it is simply humility and the self-esteem and security necessary to be humble.

Understanding - It is necessary to have some insight into humanity in order to fully appreciate how silly we must look from the outside. The best humor of all actually loves and empathizes with humanity while appreciating its foibles and flaws.

Maturity - As you grow older, wiser, looser, and better informed, you have more of a smorgasbord of humorous material. Life itself becomes your best source of intelligent humor. The better your command of language, the keener your capacity for wit. The broader your experiences, the deeper your belly laugh. Maturity frees us to enjoy more of what is best about laughter - not at the expense of others, but with them.

Obvious and Ordinary - Humor takes what is obvious and allows it to entertain deeper or alternate meanings. If you want to enjoy the laughter of life, keep your eyes and ears open and be ready for those moments of serendipity when everything comes together, when timing is, indeed, everything.

Rip and Relax - Let it rip! Get over it. Let go of it. Relax. Give yourself permission to take a short vacation into the realm of the absurd.

Now go back and listen to that interview.

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For Your Health
Nutritionals  - Natural from Nutrilite
Give the Perfect Gift - Let Them Choose

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I am still posting from Calgary - actually Cocharane. There is a great view of the Rockies today. We sat in a room for rehearsal with windows overlooking those magnificant manifestations of divine creativity with little to obscure the view. How Great Thou Art!!!!

Check out this panorama .

Also - the picture below:

A view of Cochrane, Alberta, alongside the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, c. 1945. Watercolour by Walter Joseph Phillips (1884-1963).

ID #23247
Credit: Walter Joseph Phillips, National Archives of Canada, C-110922

To order: CanadianHeritage.org

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