Put something silly in the
world
By David Myers
Draw a crazy
picture,
Write a nutty poem,
Sing a
mumble-grumble song,
Whistle through your comb.
Do a loony-goony
dance
‘Cross the kitchen
floor,
Put something silly
in the world
That ain’t been there before.
– Shell Silverstein
The other day I
looked out my window and saw my dog sitting on her house pretending to be a
World War I flying ace.
Like most of us, I had thought this was the
stuff of the Sunday comics, but apparently it’s a very real phenomena.
In fact, Charles Schultz based Snoopy’s behavior on research contained in Dr. Freidrick Ferdman’s text, “The
Strange Things Dog’s Do That You Didn’t Think They Really Did, But Do.”
Dr. Ferdman sites
several instances in which dogs pretended not only to be flying aces, but political
leaders, CEOs, and even famous chefs!
Chapter 12 highlights an incidence in which a
witness observed an overweight pug pretending to be Winston Churchill. He even
had a doggy biscuit in his mouth that resembled a stogy.
Chapter 7 includes still photos from film
footage of an
“First we thought she had rabies,” said
Ernest Smertz, 72. “But when we saw the neighbor dog
– a
It’s not the first time I’ve seen my own dog
“act” up. One day I looked out and saw her piling up dirt and leaves into a
cake-like shape while emitting this high pitched whine. I believe now that she
was pretending to be Julia Childs making a bean soufflé.
(This, by the way, provides proof to back
up my theory that George Bush is in reality a Giant Schnauzer that Vice
President Cheney purchased and trained back in 1997.)
• • •
Which leads me to this point: We’re all
wonderfully strange in our own way.
I think that part of enjoying this gift of
life that God gave us and, in effect, thanking him for our lives, is to
celebrate the “strange.” Spread light in the darkness! Turn those frowns upside
down! Don’t worry, be happy!
And do it now, people! (Sorry. I got a little excited there.)
Allow me to expound a tad: As I’ve said
before, I’ve got a fair share of insecurities. In social situations, my
anxieties usually speak for me, resulting in people thinking I’m strange -- or
on medication. It happens all the time. I’ve gotten quite used to it.
If I didn’t find some humor in life –
healthy, happy humor, a gift given me by Jesus through my folks, a couple of
wonderfully loony people in their own right – I would have a breakdown. I’ve
got to do that “loony-goony dance” now and then; got to write that nutty poem
(or column as the case may be).
The other day I was in the waiting room at my
cardiologist’s office. The room was crowded, nearly every seat filled. It was a
room of people fearing bad news, hoping for good. As I waited to be called, I
read my book – or at least pretended to read. Several names were called;
several more people came into the waiting room. Then:
“David?” the nurse called out.
I pretended to be lost in my book.
“David…?” she said a little louder.
I looked up as if startled. “What?” I said
with a look of innocence, as if I’d just been startled
awake from a nap.
I know it was a strange thing to do, but at
that point more than a dozen people, all with heart ailments -- or there with
loved ones with heart ailments -- chuckled, smiled, or looked at me like I was
nuts. And for a brief moment they weren’t thinking about why they were there.
“Put something silly in the world that ain’t been there before.”
Jesus is the salt of the earth. If we are to
be imitators of Christ, then we are asked to be the same. And for some,
spreading joy through humor and smiles – spicing up this ol’
life -- can be a joyously strange thing to do.