by Kassandra Lamb
This would normally be an “off” week for our blog, but I’m participating in the Beauty of a Woman Blogfest VII this week, as I’ve done each year since its inception (or maybe I jumped in at year 2; I can’t remember for sure). This wonderful celebration of women is sponsored by the beautiful-inside-and-out August McLaughlin.
So here’s a short and hopefully amusing post in honor of humorous women. Please hop over to the BOAW site when you’re finished reading and check out the excellent posts listed there. (And maybe win a great prize or two!!) The blogfest is from today through March 9th.
Not Barb’s book; it is below.
The late comedienne extraordinaire Erma Bombeck had a birthday a few of weeks ago (she would have been 91). Meanwhile, a very much alive friend of mine, Barb Taub, released a new humor book last month.
These two events got me to thinking about humor, aging and beauty.
In my review of Barb’s book I called her today’s version of Erma Bombeck. I hope that compliment will keep her from killing me for what I am about to say. Erma was no physical beauty, and Barb can best be described as a middle-aged plump person who smiles a lot.
Barb Taub ~ for some of her great humor, check out her latest blog post, My House Makes Me Sick
But I believe they are two of the most gorgeous souls ever to walk the earth, because they find humor in EVERYTHING. Everyone around them is smiling or downright laughing out loud. Talk about spreading sunshine in the world!
Erma was particularly good at poking fun at false standards of beauty or perfection around less-than-important things like housework. But she rebelled so hilariously that she got away with it, even in the 1970s and 80s, when feminism was still somewhat of a dirty word.
Erma on dieting:
“Seize the moment. Remember all those women on the Titanic who waved off the dessert cart.”
“It is my theory you can’t get rid of fat. All you can do is move it around, like furniture.”
“What we’re really talking about is a wonderful day set aside on the fourth Thursday of November when no one diets. I mean, why else would they call it Thanksgiving?”
Erma on the fashion industry:
“Sometimes I can’t figure designers out. It’s as if they flunked human anatomy.”
Erma on housework:
“My theory on housework is, if the item doesn’t multiply, smell, catch fire, or block the refrigerator door, let it be. No one else cares. Why should you?”
“Cleanliness is not next to godliness. It isn’t even in the same neighborhood. No one has ever gotten a religious experience out of removing burned-on cheese from the grill of the toaster oven.”
And finally, on laughter:
“When humor goes, there goes civilization.”
“Laughter rises out of tragedy when you need it the most, and rewards you for your courage.”
And yet another quote, this one from a reviewer of one of Erma’s books:
“Erma liberated women from guilt of imperfection”
(by domestic diva, the title of her review on August 30, 2015)
My life certainly hasn’t been one big laugh, but humor has always been one of the tools—a prominent one on my tool belt—that I’ve used to keep going. And perhaps more importantly, it has made the “keeping going” worth doing.
I can’t begin to imagine life without laughter.
I’ve been blessed with oily skin (although in younger years I considered it a curse). Oily skin doesn’t wrinkle very readily, so even though I’m 65, I don’t have wrinkles.
Or at least I believed that, until I happened to smile while looking in the mirror the other day. That’s when I realized I’m starting to develop laugh lines around my eyes.
I’m so happy that they, in particular, are my first wrinkles.
And I’ll leave you with one last quote, most often attributed to Oscar Wilde:
“Life is too important to be taken seriously.”
How about you? Do you have laugh lines yet? How do you feel about them?
P.S. Don’t forget to check out the other BOAW blog posts (and maybe win a prize!)
Posted by Kassandra Lamb. Kass is a retired psychotherapist turned mystery writer. She is the author of the Kate Huntington psychological mysteries, set in her native Maryland, and the Marcia Banks and Buddy cozy mysteries, set in Central Florida.
We blog here at misterio press about twice a month, usually on Tuesdays. Sometimes we talk about serious topics, and sometimes we just have some fun.
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