Last week, I asked you, my readers, to share a story of a time when you laughed at yourself.
It was a popular topic, so I’ll run stories again next week. If you feel like you missed out, now you have another chance to tell your story for next week.
To submit:
Subscribers, simply hit reply to this email. Other readers, click HERE to submit. (Please include your city and state too.)
Enjoy today’s stories!
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The Unthinkable Eggs
This particular day I decided to make scrambled eggs for breakfast. I looked in the fridge to grab a couple and the carton of about 10 wasn’t there. I called out to my hubby, “Husband, did you cook all the eggs that were in the fridge?” His response, “No, I didn’t cook any, check again.” I double-checked. My response, “That’s weird, they were in here yesterday, at least 8 or 10.” So instead, I chose yogurt with fresh walnuts and blueberries. Later that day, I decided we would have salmon and salad for dinner. I looked in the freezer to get the salmon, and lo and behold there were the 10 eggs in the carton, frozen stiff. I just stood there and laughed and said, “Husband, come look.” He came and looked and said, “Uh huh. Let’s keep ‘em. I’ll eat ‘em.” Which he did over time. Wow, that was a weird one!
Armanda, Saint Paul, Minnesota
*****
My story may not qualify as a laugh at yourself story, but I did get a good laugh and you may, too! I went to a car dealership on Wednesday to test drive a van since the transmission went out on mine. My daughter and I took off down a country road in an attempt to figure out if this was the van for us. We had driven about 4 miles and were returning to the dealership when the van suddenly started to lose power and then shut off.
I was sitting in utter shock when I realized what the problem was... we had run out of gas! I instantly started to laugh and couldn’t believe this had happened. I called the dealership to report the issue, and they assured me someone would come immediately. My daughter and I sat chatting and then I realized a lot of time had passed. After 20 minutes I called the dealership, and the woman told me they couldn’t find me. I could see the road sign and told her exactly where I was.
Fifteen minutes later two men and a gas can arrived. They were so thankful to find me laughing and not angry with them. The best part of the story is that in the little town of Viroqua there are two Asbury roads. One runs north and south and the other east and west. Had I just said south Asbury, help would have come sooner, but then I wouldn’t have this fun story to tell.
Lisa, Sparta, Wisconsin
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“May I take your order?” the voice vibrated through the tinny speaker system at Hardee’s in Thief River Falls. I took a deep breath and opened my mouth, anticipating the snickers from the back seat. That’s all it took. I started laughing and could not get out the words to place our order. It was a gasp-for-the-next-breath attempt that my kids knew would repeat itself each time I took them to a fast food drive-through, actually a rare occasion for our family.
I do not remember the first time this uncontrollable emotion erupted nor how such an embarrassment could possibly happen. Yet as I steered the Honda into the drive-through at a several different restaurants over the course of the years, I knew what would happen. And each time, I tried every trick I could muster to avoid the inevitable collapse of my demeanor as a mother. Nothing helped except the passing of time because eventually, the kids grew up, and the story of their mother’s loss of composure at the drive-through restaurant became another deposit in the family memory bank.
Avis, Newfolden, Minnesota
*****
This was our drama for the day. Mom calls about an hour after I had been there (at their assisted living apartment), asking how to get Dad’s ring over his finger. I tell her to put a little Aquaphor (Vaseline) on his knuckle. So, she did, and it worked. Didn’t think anything more about it until I go at 4:00 p.m. to take Dad to the bathroom and his finger looks a little funny. I look some more, and man, that ring looks really tight! I look a little more, and hmm, I think his ring finger looks darker in color than the rest of his hand! I realize all of this is because his ring is shoved onto his middle finger, not his ring finger! Ouch! Dad had been fiddling with his ring and got it off his finger, and when he was trying to put it back on, he only got to the knuckle of his middle finger. Mom didn’t want him to lose his ring, so she was trying to get it on without realizing it was the wrong finger. After calling Brideview’s nurse, I iced Dad’s finger for a while and then lubed it up and tried to pull it off, but only succeeded in making his finger even bluer, causing Dad pain. Called the home healthcare nurse to see if she had suggestions, and she didn’t, but the ER has a ring cutter. But I have the truck and don’t think I can get Dad in it, so I called Kristin (sister) for transportation, and she also brought Brent with a side-cutter (wire cutters?), and he saved us from a trip to the ER!
Katrina, Valley City, North Dakota
*****
I have been working from home a few days a week. Last week, we were out of milk but my calendar was busy. So I decided to take a run to McDonalds’ drive-through to get some breakfast while calling in from the minivan using the “uconnect”. I am all dialed in for the meeting, driving along thinking I am on mute because I saw the mute with the slash on the display… well, I get to the drive-up to order a #1 with a coke, only to have someone on the meeting say, “Hey, can you get me an Egg McMuffin too?” So, kind of embarrassing, but also had a good laugh at myself too. Now I know that I actually have to press that mute symbol to be on mute.
Cindy, Minneapolis, Minnesota
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*Names in this blog have been changed to protect my family and friends in the neighborhood, and in a nod of appreciation to the beloved Swedish author Maj Lindman, I’ve renamed my three blondies Flicka, Ricka, and Dicka.