Working with my husband has its perks. Not many, but there are indeed a few. One of the best perks is the endless entertainment and comic relief he provides. Now, mind you, dear reader, there are a lot of factors to consider when acknowledging how entertaining and humorous he is on any given day. My mood has much to do with how funny I find him. If he has not broken wind in my general direction, turned off the hot water in my shower, thrown a cup of ice over the shower door, scratched something gross, and then stuck his finger under my nose, kept bum thumbing to a minimum, and refrained from insulting my beloved big red dog, my mood is pretty good. However, those days are few and far between. It is a constant battle to stay ahead of his wit, wry humor, and overactive imagination for tormenting me. Sigh.
I find the man genuinely entertaining on the rare days I am not completely exhausted and exasperated by his constant barrage of shenanigans. I am always impressed with his quick wit. The other day, we sat together, labeling moisturizer. I was reticent last week. When I don't feel well, I don't feel like talking, listening to his "angry music," or engaging in any unnecessary activity. My only goal was to complete the task at hand and then take a nap. My darling husband finds my quiet moods disconcerting and feels the need to fill the quiet with small talk. I hate small talk.
After several futile attempts to engage me in conversation, he sat quietly, and the only noise was the satisfying zip of the labels being pulled off their waxed paper backing. I was content with the quiet. I was laser-focused on ensuring the labels were straight and content thinking my own thoughts. Inside my head is an interesting place to be, and I quite enjoy languishing in my thoughts. As I sat quietly, thinking about this and that, my bib overall-wearing buddy cleared his throat, didn't look up from the moisturizer jar he was labeling, and randomly threw out the fact that he read a high percentage of geniuses like to wear the same outfit day after day. Mildly annoyed by the intrusion of random facts, I responded politely, "Oh, that's interesting. Why is that?" He did not miss a beat, his timing was impeccable, and he replied matter of factly, "I don't know. It's just what we do."
I paused momentarily, processing his response, then guffawed like a hyena at his wit. Sometimes, his quick wit catches me off guard. I found this perfectly timed comedic response hilarious. I sat and laughed at his comment for several minutes, breaking my concentration and interrupting my taciturn mood. He seemed genuinely confused by my giggling fit, which made me laugh even harder. Sigh, he always gives me exactly what I need, and I appreciate that. With that one off-the-cuff comment, my mood improved. I made a few Steve Jobs jokes, and then we chatted amicably the rest of the day. I love my co-worker.
On this overcast spring day, stay safe, be smart, enjoy your co-workers, get out of your own head, laughter is the best medicine, and keep washing your hands.