 She said, "I didn't know you are a writer."Surprised, I said,
"Yes, I have been writing for many years now. Did you see my column
somewhere?"
I was hoping for a friendly critique.
"Yes, actually. I was cleaning my guinea pig cage yesterday, and
when I spread some newspaper in the bottom, I saw your face."
Not exactly what I had expected, but I've learned to roll with
those kinds of punches. So what if her guinea pig would use my face
as his latrine? That's life. I'm just happy she recognized me.
She continued, "So I checked out your website and found some
really funny stuff there!"
Well, that's something, anyway.
I smiled, loving her honesty. She'd make a great best friend.
Over the years, I have received many honest reactions to my work.
Some wrote to tell me how much they enjoyed it, and others were
apparently mentally ill.
I write a humor column about life. Many times, life is quite
funny, but sometimes it can make you cry and sometimes it can make
you angry. Your attitude toward life is a telling characteristic.
Many readers see the same humor in life that I do: the
strangeness of humanity if viewed with the eye of a visitor to our
planet.
Some readers will be angry because I inadvertently used a
politically incorrect term or dissed a certain sector of the
population. They missed the opportunity for joy and chose to be
angry at my error instead.
[to top of second column] |
 A few years ago, I wrote about the concern I was feeling for my
young son because he was having trouble keeping his grades up. His
dream, which I was all too willing to foster, was a Ph.D. in
biology, but his grades said he'd be riding on the back of a garbage
truck.
Apparently, there is a certain sector of the population that
resented that comparison, including a less-than-eloquent trash
collector who emailed me from his cellphone and told me exactly what
he thought of my mother's resemblance to a canine, the supposed
promiscuity of my sex life and his hopes for my speedy demise. His
words were a little different.
Obviously, the humor was lost on this man. I, on the other hand,
found a boatload of humor in the fact that his anonymous, but rude,
message was rendered not anonymous by the fact that his cellphone
number was listed under "From" on the email.
I was concerned that the poor man might use that language on
someone less tolerant of idiots, so I wrote back to advise him of
his error.
He immediately and profusely apologized... which made my day. I
have never heard from him again. Thank goodness. If ever someone
needed a bit of humor, it was that hardworking man. Unfortunately,
he chose to be angry instead.
But that's life... Sometimes your face gets posted behind a
refrigerator magnet and sometimes it's lining a rodent cage. Either
way, it's funny, isn't it?
[By LAURA SNYDER]
Laura Snyder is a nationally syndicated
columnist, author and speaker. You can reach her at
lsnyder@lauraonlife.com
or visit www.lauraonlife.com
for more info. |
