"you shouldn't be allowed to laugh or tease anyone until you can first laugh at yourself”. I don't recall where I heard that saying as a child, a wise family member or sappy 80's sitcom could share credit, who knows, I'm not even sure it is an actual saying, but I have made that phrase a personal motto and life guideline. My thick Alligator hide and ability to laugh at myself louder than most may be the most impressive part of my overall personality, I've never been the type to get bummed out being the brunt of a joke and I would like to believe I've never taken myself too serious, I'm an overall even keeled type of fella, outside of a Chinese Checkerboard of coarse. I am THE BEST Chinese Checker player you will ever know! if you are reading this paragraph then do me a favor; take a quick break and realize that I would destroy you at Chinese Checkers! I will own your Marbles! I will buy up all your marbles like distressed properties in a down market and then I will evict them without notice before flipping the property for a $47 profit! I will win!
I've been laughing at myself for so long, my motto has never been difficult to follow, it's just that simple for me, but in the last 3 years of adulthood I've re-evaluated what “taking yourself lightly” truly means. I often find myself reaching barriers in situations, and I've always responded a certain way; the safe way. For most of my life when being afraid or embaressed of something I've always chose avoidance, until the recent years of being a grown up. Now whenever I reach a barrier I ask myself "what would Tim usually do?" and then I do the exact opposite, because how can I claim to be honest with myself when being afraid of such silly things, can I really laugh at myself if I don't allow myself to be made the fool.
One silly thing that has always terrified me is dancing, I just don't feel comfortable in my own skin doing it, I never know what to do with my arms and I've got boundary issues to boot, so in the past I'd rather submit to Water boarding than cut any sort of rug. But now being the wise man of Twenty Eight years I am, I hardly pass up a chance to catch the boogy bug regardless of how foolish I look.
I'm telling the story of my motto to help explain what could have been a historic moment last night. I rarely have the courage or creativity to do anything spontaneously cool like in a movie and the opportunity is equally rare, allow me to explain: It was my Birthday last night and I was out on the town with my gang of pals, most of the night was the usual fun, until we arrived at the Bar Bootleggers, within 5min of settling into our table I noticed a table of attractive Girls seated to our left, I gave them a quick glance and said "damn" under my breath. It wasn't until the third scan of the table that I noticed your Friend, or what could have been a convincing Doppleganger.
In a moment of panic and terror I scrambled to hide a little bit while wondering where you could possibly be, "maybe she's in the bathroom, maybe she's taking her British laugh for a walk upstairs" I thought while scrunching behind the frame of my gigantic friend, "what if she is here? what will I do" I pondered. It took me roughly 7 seconds to devise a plan, 7 seconds; the exact time it took to digest the second of several gross shots I was obligated to drink.
My plan was simple and oh so very cool, the type of cool reserved for a Movie. I would walk up and stand beside you until you realized I was there, if you hadn't noticed immediately I would wait for someone at your table to finish a joke and then I would laugh distinctly enough to grab your attention. You would be startled and exited, before you could shout my name or say hello I would grab your hand and guide you to the dance floor where we would bust several creative moves, I would say nothing the entire time, we would only exchange dramatic eye contact like creepy German Tourists. My cool facade would probably look extremely Dorky and I would run the risk of causing your laughter seizure, but in my mind we would be Vincent Vega and Mia Wallace twisting at Jack Rabbit Slims.
My silence would continue until it was obvious that I was up to something clever, you would demand me to speak and under silent protest I would lean in and whisper something absurdly silly like "Chicken Pot... Chicken Pot....Chicken Pot Pie", you would scramble to gather the pieces of your blown mind and I would walk away triumphantly like Bob Harris from Lost in Translation.
While I didn't have my opportunity last night I am however satisfied knowing that I have grown courageous enough at this age to attempt a fools errand and create a memory
