Wading through punch lines

Laughter is the bass line behind the good times in life

It isn’t easy being funny. Which is a shame. Because laughter is the bass line behind the good times in life. Isn’t it grand to watch people laugh uproariously? Heck, they sometimes vibrate like tuning forks.

It’s good to laugh once in a while. Ever notice somebody who’s always a sourpuss? They eventually take on that prison-camp pallor.

Humor is vital to our existence. It’s what makes us human. Except for hyenas, ever hear a bunch of animals simply howling with yuks? OK, some critters howl. But not with yuks.

Because of laughter, man can be the sunniest of creatures. And also the darkest of creatures.

Which is why we need jokes, which are mirthful interludes in a sometimes torpid existence. Jokes are sacred sound bites. What can be a better sound than to hear someone’s voice and the smile in it?

Perhaps that’s why humor has so many pitfalls.

For starters, humor is subjective. What might tickle your ribs might shatter another’s.

There are other complications when you’re trying

to trigger a chuckle or two.

One is mindset. It seems only a small percentage of people have the knack of joke retention. How many times have you split a gut laughing at a joke, then wracked your brain trying to remember how exactly it went?

If’ you’re brave enough to take a stab at repeating a joke, any bump caused by sudden memory loss is likely to subject you to ridicule.

Another roadblock to humor is timing. If you don’t have the proper delivery when telling a joke, people have a nasty habit of laughing at you, not

with you.

Which is why emailing jokes or posting them on social media is a much better deal.

Your delivery is no longer important. Neither is your lousy memory. All you need is one friend who sends you jokes. Or you can Google jokes. Then you can share them with the world and pretend you’re THE FUNNIEST PERSON ALIVE.

By the way, it’s best to share only clean jokes online because if they can track how many times you blink a minute, they can track all your jokes.

To continue the deepseated tradition of sharing

jokes, here is a microscopic sampling:

If at first you don’t succeed, skydiving is not for you.

Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly. But when they lit a fire in the craft, it sank – proving once and for all that you can’t have your kayak and heat it, too.

If the police arrest a mime, do they tell him he has the right to remain silent?

Do Lipton Tea employees take coffee breaks?

Then: Swallowing acid. Now: Swallowing antacid.

Then: You’re growing pot. Now: You’re growing pot.