Anderson Cooper – The Ridiculist
I will never forget the time Mr. Brickhouse and I attended a weekend Pre-Cana retreat as a requirement to marrying in the Catholic church. Many other couples were in attendance at this beautiful old Monastery. Of course, the boys slept in one building and the girls in another.
Why my thoracic diaphragm decided that on that weekend it would go haywire and erupt in involuntary audible contractions, is beyond me. It started with short little random outbursts. I remember thinking, Brickhouse get it together, the priest is addressing the group. We were at the beautiful church attending a Mass when I made the fatal mistake of looking over at Mr. Brickhouse. He looked back at me and that was it. The levee burst breached so forcefully, that no amount of sand bags could have possibly stopped the blast of laughter that erupted out of my small Catholic mouth.
Shhhhhhhhhh, pleaded Mr. Brickhouse, in a look of horror. Nope. There was no shhh-ing to be had. I tried looking down and staring at the pews. I tried thinking of horrible tragedies I knew about. There was no turning back. I covered my entire face with the palms of both my hands in an attempt to muffle the gurgling sounds. That did not work. I tried burying my head in Mr. Brickhouse’s jacket but that only brought more attention my way.
God, please make it stop! I am so sorry for sinning in your house of worship.
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My shoulders began to shake uncontrollably as I gasped for air. The side of my stomach ached and the tears of laughter came gushing down my face. I am pretty sure there was a lot of snorting going on as well. As tough and poised as Mr. Brickhouse tried to remain, I broke him down. Now, we were two Pre-Cana students hysterically laughing in the middle of Mass where the echo only amplified our seizure-like movements and noises.
That we were awarded the Pre-Cana completion certificate, was truly miraculous.
And then there was the time my mother accompanied me to one of my birthing classes because Mr. Brickhouse had a meeting that night. I was pretty pregnant by then, as were my classmates. I was aware that pregnant women came in all shapes and sizes but, WHOA. This one particular woman had a rather peculiar shape.
Rather than her baby bump protruding from her stomach and thus the front of her, somehow, the protrusion came entirely from her derrière. There was hardly a pregnant tummy to be seen. The almost at-term baby, seemed to be resting comfortably inside her buttocks. From the looks of it, it was going to be a rather HUGE baby.
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Well, I was used to her unique shape from earlier classes but my mature and dignified mother, had never seen anything like it. All it took was a loud whisper (because my mother never learned how to whisper softly) in Spanish from her, commenting on the baby coming out of the woman’s butt, to open the gates. How my water didn’t break right there and then is incomprehensible.
The instructor stopped the class to ask if we were alright. We had to step aside and leave the room, for the night.
They say that laughter produces endorphins which can reduce pain, increase blood flow, reduce stress hormones and boost our immune system.
What they do not warn us about is that it may cause long-term embarrassment, child-like behavior, loss of bladder control and high likelihood of offending others.
However, the side effects seem to be a lot less severe than the side effects I get from my cocktail of medications.
Maybe laughter truly is the best medicine.
Here is Anderson Cooper ‘losing it’.
And make sure to click on this video of the immensely talented, Tim Conway & Harvey Korman in ‘The Dentist Skit’ where Harvey actually wets himself from laughing when he wasn’t supposed to!
What laughing-fit stories do you have?
I’m picturing you two laughing away at church. I would have laughed too. 🙂 Sometimes, you just can’t help it. I was serving communion once and started laughing. And there I was standing in front of the church with this goofy look on my face.
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Of course you need to laugh at least once a day. The dentist skit… Freakin’ awesome. To think that Tim Conway’s goal was to make the others laugh. Nothing in the world like Church giggles. Nothing. As for laughing at the wrong time…. when I get back to the Valley dying of boredom I’ll write a post and credit you dear teacher for the idea. SAD FACE HERE!!!
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I don’t get laughing fits often. But when I do, you can bet it is during some serious meeting or in a museum or library.
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Sounds about right! Why is that? I do remember another fit I had while at work. A co-worker and I lost it so badly that it actually really hurt! The rest of the folks in the office just stood around us laughing and waiting for us to calm down. Of course, it’s never as funny to anyone else. Wishing you more laughing fits in the months to come. 🙂
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Maria, by far best post we’ve read so far this week!! We’re still laughing!! And the Anderson Cooper Video was fantastic!!! Never seen him loose it like that!! Funny enough, when it (uncontrollable laughter) hits you/us like that, fighting it only seems to make it worse! When in doubt, go with the laugh & get it all out!! lmao 😉 Sharing now!
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So glad you enjoyed it and that you got a chuckle out of it. Spreading the laughter is my goal! I love Anderson Cooper and laughed along with him when I watched the video. So funny! You are right about fighting it, only making it worse. You might as well succumb to the inevitable. So sweet of you to share. Gracias! 🙂
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When I was about 8 I went to my church with my bff and her family. I tripped up on the way in and that was it fir the whole mass. Why couldn’t I have been at her church instead lol. Funny stories!
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Ha,ha! As you said, It would have been better at her church because there would have been less people that knew you. It figures. 🙂
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🙂
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The worst is when it happens at a funeral. I happened to be in town a memorial service was held for a friend from high school. It was weeks after his death so the shock had worn off. It was like a reunion. I had to keep reminding myself that it was a somber occasion…
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Oh boy! At least you didn’t take a selfie at the funeral…or did you? LOL.
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This was before selfies!
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I’m with you, Maria. The more quiet the moment, the worse my cackling, wheezing, snorting laugh!
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Oh, the wheezing! I go into full asthmatic mode and can barely breathe! My kids are mortified when they hear me. LOL.
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Yep!
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Love this Maria! Laughter truly is the best medicine and it is always at those moments, as in church, when you shouldn’t be laughing that if something triggers it and you try so hard not to laugh, you want to even more, until those tears are streaming! Great stuff, great stories 🙂
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Thanks, Sherri! I love how you can remember these times and still laugh as if it was happening again. We all need to do this more often (maybe not at funerals or churches). 🙂
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Haha! Too right 🙂
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That was fantastic. I was cracking up. Laughing is the best therapy 😉
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It certainly is contagious! That’s why I love seeing other people crack up. 🙂
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Yeah, that’s always a hoot
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I can’t imagine a priest wouldn’t bless a marriage filled with laughter.
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It’s a miracle I didn’t crack up throughout the looong wedding ceremony! Luckily my nerves kept me in check.
I also remember another time when I was visiting my cousin in Spain and we had been invited to dinner at the home of a co-worker of hers. I of course had never met him before. During the meal I remembered something funny that had happened earlier in the day and the giggling began…and didn’t stop for the remainder of the meal. Oh man, they really thought I was the most immature person! The good thing was that my cousin couldn’t help herself and ended up laughing along with me as our host and his entire family stared at us. 🙂
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There’s nothing better than not being able to stop laughing, Maria. Even God Himself approves, I’m sure. 🙂
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True, Andra. He must approve or he would have let me know by now. I am predisposed to this laughing fit condition and there is no cure (which I am totally ok with). I hope you are resting those feet!
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Laughter is the best medicine and you just gave me a great big dose, Maria! This was hilarious, especially your mother’s reaction to the Butt Woman!
I don’t know what it is about church and laughter, but I remember growing up, my sister and I had many uncontrollable laugh attacks while in church. My mother was always mortified.
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Oh my gosh, Jill. I did everything in my power to try to stop myself but had no luck. I get these fits often especially with my mom, siblings and cousins. It’s a family trait with my father being the leader of the pack. Like your mom, my mom would be mortified when it happened in church.
I love watching other people lose it. Anderson Cooper was hilarious. And the cast from The Carol Burnett Show killed me whenever they would lose control and crack up mid-skit. 🙂
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My laughing fits would happen at funerals! Oh my, since I never go to a church, it has to be the other bad place to have laughing fits. It seems my way of remembering a past loved one is remember the good funny times and then I would start laughing. Needless to say I limit my funerals…..lol
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Oh, boy! It hasn’t happened to me (yet) during a funeral but I can totally see it happening, Jackie. Another time when I lost complete control was while in an elevator with my dad. It was crowded and my dad and I walked in and barely fit. My dad gave me a funny look and that was it! I stood there like an idiot cracking up while my fellow elevator passengers just stared. I buried my face in my father’s shirt and just howled! I am laughing just remembering this. 🙂
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LOL I could see me doing that too. It seems any place that you are suppose to be quiet I find something to laugh about . 🙂
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Isn’t it the damnedest thing when you just cannot cannot cannot cannot stop the Niagara Falls of laughing fits? It would happen to me in classes, and in the office, too. I knew enough to stand up, wave in apology, and leave the room to weird stares. Never in church, though, Mrs. Brickhouse. You win the Golden Catholic Venial Guffaw Award.
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Ha,ha! Yes, I do deserve that award. When it hits me, it does not matter where I am or who I am with. And it happens often! I am known to lose control all the time. I am also known to have laughing fits while talking on the phone. My kids have come running into my room to see why I am screaming and to make sure I was alright. I guess I could have worse problems…oh wait, I do! 🙂
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Yes, there’s that moment when I know I am going over the laughing cliff, oh no, can’t stop it, too late, uncontrollable guffawing. Wheezing with laughter. Yeah, it’s kind of funny to think about it, even. Thanks for the reminder, Mrs. Brickhouse.
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You must now say 3 Hail Marys….
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At least that! I didn’t mention that I had another laughing fit at the end of the weekend while engaging in a group hug with several other couples and the priest! I was in rare form.
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