Oh I used to be disgusted
\nNow I try to be amused.<\/p>\n
— Elvis (the One True Elvis) Costello<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Some of us have a special talent for being disgusted and\/or amused by\u00a0 Life, the Universe and Everything. (Oh, why’s that?)<\/p>\n
I have both talents.<\/p>\n
While I could really do without the former,\u00a0 the latter is a real gift. It is, however, a gift that requires some (wait for it) balance.<\/p>\n
Fucking balance. It’s everywhere.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I am not one of those people who is magically endowed with an eternally pleasant disposition who smiles beneficently on the world from my happy palace full of sparkly unicorns.\u00a0 (Shut up)<\/p>\n
I am one of those people who has a naturally smiling but sarcastic disposition who is constantly challenged by things like:<\/p>\n
1. Thinking most other people might be stupid (well…you know…if the red shoe fits)<\/p>\n
2. Keeping both sarcasm and irony in check because a lot of people appear to be missing those essential genes (see #1?)<\/p>\n
3. 4. Bite me.<\/p>\n 5. Not letting a little natural sarcasm (which is Right and Good) become a black hole of hatefulness. Staying out of it is hard. Simple, but difficult.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n How do I do this?<\/p>\n If I only knew.<\/p>\n There are a lot of cliches involved.<\/p>\n Mostly, it’s just trying to be aware.<\/p>\n Often, I am not successful.<\/p>\n Sometimes, I am.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Being amused is a different challenge. Mostly, being amused is a good thing, right?<\/p>\n Well, yeah. But.<\/p>\n (There’s always a but)<\/p>\n There’s a point at which being amused by Life in a good way becomes mocking everything.<\/p>\n So, the challenge balancing amusement and laughter with mockery is to take Life seriously.<\/p>\n No, really.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Life is a born comic.<\/p>\n C’mon. Look how we come into the world. It’s funny. There are both penises and vaginas involved. It’s also a total miracle.<\/p>\n Is there anything more inherently absurd than a penis? No. (OK, yes..an elephant’s trunk.)<\/p>\n Is there anything more amazing than being born and being alive? No.<\/p>\n You can laugh at one, but you’ve got to treat the other with at least a little gravitas.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Make sure you laugh with it, not at it.<\/p>\n Uh. I guess.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I have no clue.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"profanity.<\/del>\u00a0 No, actually I believe that profanity is one of Life’s Best Things. I am not challenged by anything but increasing my use of it.<\/p>\n