“To get up each morning with the resolve to be happy… is to set our own conditions to the events of each day. To do this is to condition circumstances instead of being conditioned by them.~ Ralph Waldo Trine

With the seriousness of the previous posts, except for the Halloween posts (although for some that is very serious business), I thought I might bring a bit of levity to the blog and all of us by sharing a recent (not that abnormal in that I managed to embarrass myself) experience where I had the fabulous opportunity to embarrass myself in an enclosed environment, that I could not leave, a plane.

As I had mentioned in my previous “Where do you call home, literally and metaphorically” post, I went to San Francisco for work and a Habitat build. As a mom who works out of the home and sometimes needs to travel, I still believe in dressing up for a plane ride. So at 4:30 am on that Friday morning, I pulled out my black sheath dress, and ivory tuxedo jacket with a black lapel and my black Louboutins. Just looking at the red heel as I pulled them out of their red bag gave me a thrill, even in the dark. Despite feeling exhausted from waking up with E at 3:30, I felt good. Put together, like by putting on my special shoes and my clothes it would give me the edge I would need for the meetings I would have that day. No vomit, no strange stains, I was off to a good start.

Everything went seamlessly as I checked in on my phone, went through security (where the TSA person asked me if I was in First Class simply because I was dressed up) and even after I had to go through special screening due to the bracelets that I wear and never take off, I couldn’t be phased.

I felt pride as I boarded the plane and took my seat behind a family with a little boy who was obsessed with not sitting down. I scrolled through my emails and decided I could get a few in before they made me turn off my phone for take off. As I often get behind in my personal emails trying to juggle all the balls or spin all the plates, I decided now was a good time to keep up and watch a video which was undoubtedly going to be funny and that our good friend had sent to a us a few days prior.

I touched the link and watched as the video switched to YouTube and started to play…and then it happened. Loudly, the video started blaring. I didn’t get two sentences into the rapping puppet, before the first profane word was said and it only went on from there. I frantically fumbled with the phone trying to turn it down. Stupid iphone! It was jammed. So I tried to stop the video all together. Frozen.

Crap!

Now the family in front of me was looking at me as the puppet breakup video keeps rapping, cussing, singing, dancing. So, in a last ditch effort, I stuck the phone under my leg, where it continued to play for 2 long minutes. Periodically, I would lift my leg up upon which I would hear the puppets rapping and I would jam it back down on the seat. I could see the parents in front of me smirking….as I muttered under my breath and turned red.

Finally the video ended and I breathed a deep sign of relief….and I laughed out loud. I took out my phone from under my thigh and turned it off to reset it and smiled. It was true, my Louboutins and outfit couldn’t save me from embarrassing myself in this situation, but they made me feel happy and feeling happy in this metal tube in a tiny seat while trying to avoid offending everyone around me and traumatizing the 2 year old in front of me with a new version of what puppets do, made me take it all in stride. I conditioned my conditions, they did not condition me. It was funny and I needed to laugh. Laugh at myself and remind me that I can’t take myself so seriously and despite everything going on, my sense of humor remains in tact to keep me grounded. And sometimes a good laugh can make everything better, at least for the time being.

For the record, I did finally watch the video the next week and it really is pretty funny, just not good for planes, unless of course you are wearing headphones!

Does laughter keep you grounded? Has anything made you laugh out loud recently? Have you seen the puppet break up video?