BE A "FIRST OF MAY"

Tomorrow is the first of May. I recently watched a movie on Roku with that title. It was about a lonely boy and an old woman who run away together and join the circus. The term "First of May" is an old carnival term used to describe a novice performer (clown) in his first season on a circus show. I guess May was a popular month to join the circus.

If I wanted to join the circus, I wouldn't have to run away. There's plenty of circus right here. We have a few clowns in our family. My husband was voted class clown in high school. And my daughter recently received the same title from her eighth grade classmates. I can be humorous at times too. Clever comebacks are my favorite way to be funny. 

My husband walks around the house making strange sounds. He'll jump in front of me and pull the elastic waistband of his sweat pants up to his chest. Then he'll stand there with his arms tight at his side, palms turned up. And he'll say nothing. He'll just stand there with a stupid grin and dazed eyes, looking around the room with a sense of wonder.  He's done this hundreds of times since I've known him and it never stops being funny. 

Just like her dad, my daughter loves to make random goofy faces. You never know when one is coming. It could be at the dinner table while passing the peas or when our eyes first meet in the morning. I don't think she realizes how much I love her goofiness. I got her on video delivering a silly rant about how much she likes boiled eggs. She was probably about seven years old. We don't know what happened to that hilarious footage, but we still talk about it.

My son loves comedy too. He often entertains us with the latest funny videos he found online. He'll put his laptop on the table and share what he came across that cracked him up that week. A few days ago he pulled into our driveway on a racy red motorcycle. He had the matching helmet and jacket to complete the cool look. I peeked out the door to see who this stranger was. When he pulled the helmet off, I said, "What the heck?"  He gave me a sneaky grin and said, "I thought I'd give you one more thing to worry about."

I'm grateful for humor and the people in my life that make me laugh. We take so much for granted. We don't treasure the joy that humor can bring to our mundane daily lives. Not until writing this have I realized how lucky I am to have people around me who appreciate humor and love to make others laugh. To honor the clowns in my life, I'm challenging you to do something funny on the first of May. Make someone laugh. Be a "First of May" for a day.

P.S. The movie was very enjoyable, and if you're wondering about the Roku, here's more info about a great way to save money on TV entertainment.
http://www.roku.com/why-its-cool