Showing posts with label sidekick. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sidekick. Show all posts

The Best Medicine


In honor of National Humor Month, I did a little research and as it turns out, comedy is surprisingly good for your health.  According to helpguide.org, a not for profit resource for information on health, humor has a positive effect on health in a variety of ways.  The article, "Humor, Laughter and Health" explains how comedy boosts both our physical and mental health.  Consider the following:  

  • Humor enhances our ability to connect with others.
  • Laughter lowers you blood pressure.
  • Humor changes your biochemical state.
  • Laughter protects the heart.
  • Humor improves brain function and relieves stress.
  • Laughter gives us a good work out.
  • Humor increases our energy
This is just a summary.   I encourage you to read the article yourself.  Once you do, you will be convinced of the importance of getting your daily dose of hilarity.

I know what you are thinking.  "How will I ever find the time to get enough humor each day?"  This is a real concern.  With global warming, the economy in crisis, our involvement in two wars and a president that doesn't lend himself to satire, getting enough humor can be a real challenge.   

Here are some effective strategies for meeting your daily allowance.  
  1. Become Michael Ian Black's sidekick.  He is freakin' hilarious.  If you hung out with him, you would be laughing all the time.
  2. Have everyone that you come into daily contact with wear flippers, because watching people gallumphing around in flippers is hysterical.
  3. Change your name to Mr. Fart-a-lot.  If you are male, this would be very funny, and if you are female, it would be a laugh-out-loud riot. 
  4. Approach your life as one big Onion article, your every thought conforming to the format of a headline.  Sample thoughts: "Area Man Self Consciously Buys Tampons For Menstruating Wife," and "Area Woman Surrounds Herself With Flipper Wearing Friends."
  5. Read Callithump Thunderblog religiously.

I know what you are thinking.  "These strategies for increasing my humor intake sound easy enough, but are there any side effects?"  

This is a very good question.  Laughter might be the best medicine, but as with any treatment, may present risks.  Side effects of excessive humor intake include but are not limited to abdominal pain, beverage expulsion via nasal passages, incontinence, crying, shortness of breath, and unseemly snorting noises and loud guffaws that might attract unwanted attention.  Furthermore, it is not recommended that you roll around on the floor as you laugh, as this can lead to contusions and fractures.  It is important to note however, that it is not possible to laugh any part of your body off, even if you are laughing unusually hard.  



Ask your doctor if incorporating humor into your everyday life is right for you.




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My Sidekick

My son, Emanuel, asked me an interesting question the other day. "Mom," he said, "Wouldn't you rather have me as a sidekick instead of a son that you have to take care of?" My immediate response was to assure him that I love having him as a son and I wouldn't trade that in for anything, even a responsibility free relationship based on palling around together. And I felt guilty for awhile after that, wondering if indeed I give off a vibe that communicates a desire to fold in the mom cards and run away to Paris, Rio, or Topeka, Kansas.

Son as sidekick. This is an interesting idea though. It made me think. If Emanuel were my sidekick, he would hang out with me and we would crack jokes and do things together. And he would feed himself and buy his own clothing...I wouldn't concern myself with his schooling or transportation to events. It wouldn't matter to me what time he got up in the morning or what time he went to bed at night. We would have no other responsibility than to amuse one another, like that lovable television duo of Laverne and Shirley. But as I think more about it, I realize that Laverne was Shirley's sidekick as much at Shirley was Laverne's sidekick. Emanuel as my sidekick, ok. Me as Emanuel's sidekick? That doesn't work for me. Time to consult Wikipedia.


"A sidekick is a stock character, a close companion who assists a partner in a superior position. Don Quixote's Sancho Panza, Sherlock Holmes' Doctor Watson, and Batman's companion Robin are some well-known sidekicks in fiction."

The sidekick shows up to support the hero. The relationship is not reciprocal.

Perhaps I dismissed Emanuel's idea too soon. It actually seems like it could be a pretty good deal for me.

Here is how it would work. My role would be as the partner in the superior position. I like this. Emanuel's role would be that of an assistant who would lend contrasting skills to the relationship and to provide a comic element. This is good, too. So, I would have the ability to fly, see through solid objects and reverse carbon emissions, and Emanuel would have the ability to make toast by holding bread between his hands.

Here is another thing about sidekicks. It seems that they often act buffoonish in order to make the hero appear smarter. I like this too. The funny bit that would recur in our relationship would be when Emanuel burns the toast and howls, "Owwwww!" as he drops it and jumps around in pain.

I like the idea of appearing smarter. In fact, this whole sidekick proposition is starting to sound better and better....

It sure beats moving to Topeka, Kansas, anyway.







Disclaimer- No offense intended towards Topeka, Kansas or any of its residents. The concluding remark in this piece was a cheap attempt to provide a punch line because I couldn't find a good way to wrap up my writing neatly. Topeka, Kansas is an upstanding town, with hard working people and exceptional strip malls.











Have fun reading! Feel free to pass these scrawlings on, but make sure to give credit. This is copyrighted material.

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