A Good Laugh Begins At Home

After a long day of taking care of grandkids home sick and running my 91 year old mother-in-law to doctor appointments, picking up groceries, and my teaching job, I am grateful that there is food in the refrigerator to heat and eat. I check off the things on my to do list and start tomorrow's list, albeit with a few of the items that did not get checked off.

My days are long, the hours endless sometimes. I rarely have time for idle channel surfing but at 11:00 PM, I find myself restless despite the desperate need for sleep. Everybody Loves Raymond is in reruns at that hour. The show is all about Ray's parents moving into a retirement condo. It was the funniest half hour I have spent in a long time.

Ray and Debra (Ray's long suffering wife) are delighted that the senior Barones are happy in their new retirement community. After years of living across the street from the in-laws, Debra is thrilled at the new found peace. Then the couple gets called to the principal's office. The retirement community wants the Barones gone. Debra begs, Ray whines but the bottom line is the community has excommunicated the elderly pains in the backside.

Meanwhile the senior Barone's house has been sold to Ray's brother, Robert and his wife who have bought new furniture and are loving their new home. Enter the elderly Barones to take back their territory. Although the trials and tribulations of the Barone brothers are not exactly mine, they are close enough to bring out my "been there, done that" t-shirt. 

I, too, was called to the principal's office at my Mother-in-law's retirement apartment complex. The list of complaints was long enough but the bottom line one matched the Barone family - we want her out. She is bringing down the morale of the entire community. Since I am fully aware of the negativity that surrounds my mother-in-law and its choking affect on one's spirit, I was not surprised. But like Debra, I was willing to forgo my pride and beg for mercy. 

A good half hour of belly laughs was the best sleep aid on the market. A good night's sleep made the drama, well, less dramatic come daylight. The Barone's situation may not seem funny to most, but if you have played out this scene, then you know that if you can't laugh, you will cry. A sense of humor goes a long way to ease the tensions and seemingly endless barage of crisis' that envelope the caregiver's day. Thanks, Frank and Marie Barone, for being curmudgeons and busy bodies. To Ray and Debra, I feel your pain and raise you 10 more years. To all of you out there who can relate to this on any level, I highly recommend laughter. It gets you through the tough times and turns bitter memories, sweet. 

This too, shall pass. One chuckle at a time.

Image: Flickr by BestofWDW