Must Make Me Laugh

I have been thinking of my friend MacKenzie lately as I noticed this photo that I have in my living room of us cracking up on our camping trip in the Ventana Wilderness near Monterey.
Every time I look at it I smile. We met at MIIS and our friendship was sealed after a road trip to a CATESOL conference in San Diego where we laughed the entire way home in the backseat of poor Jenn’s car. We laughed so hard we could hardly breathe . . . it was that funny! She is living in Washington now, but is often working in Asia and we seem to be able to catch each other when we are in closer time zones.

Anyway, after a great talk with her Don and I were chatting and recalling some of these funny moments and Don noted that he didn’t know anyone quite like me to whom laughing is such a requirement in relationships. Some people say that they want a lover and friends with a good sense of humor, but for me it is more specific, they must make me laugh. Just the fact that I can remember particular instances where I was laughing hard with someone proves it. He thinks that it may come from my mom and Aunt Penny’s relationship and I agree. When we first started dating Don hated when I used the phrase ‘in hysterics.’ But really I didn’t know how else to describe that extreme laughter that would go on between my mom and Aunt Penny, especially going down Lott Road when they would be ‘in hysterics’ and my mom couldn’t even drive. He drew the conclusion that it is now a requirement for my relationships as this is how I saw female relationships at a young age.

I began to think about my ‘lifetime friends’ – you know, those women who will remain in your lives forever, the ones who are there for every big event, and even though physical distance may come between some of the small details of the day to day, as soon as you hear from them it is like no time has passed at all. My lifetime friends are all very funny: Christen, from childhood is just hysterical; Rhonda and Nikki, from high school, well there have been too many times to count of shared silly memories; Bethany, from California but we instantly bonded when we worked together in Wyoming; and MacKenzie, Patricia, and Andrea from Monterey, a bunch of students and recent grads in a town with not much to do, need I say more. It amazes me how I have found all of these wonderful woman who will remain in my life forever and no matter where in the world I live I know I will have friends . . . and they make me laugh!

Poor Don, he is under so much pressure ☺ He said that if he notices I haven’t laughed, really laughed, in a few days he makes it his mission to do so. He was good at hiding his true purpose, I just thought he was a funny guy! Good thing Makoa is around too because he and I find the silliest stuff to giggle about. Sometime at mealtime, at the park, hanging on the couch, bathtime, even bedtime, we will throw our heads back and laugh . . . hysterically!!