Earlier this
morning, I witnessed one of the most dramatic events at TCU. It involved a girl, her water bottle, and a
campus recreation center.
I was
stretching my leg along the railing at the rec center whilst enjoying the
breathtaking view of gym equipment and sweaty people. As I moved my leg to
regain my footing, I accidentally nudged my precious Frogs First water bottle,
which was perched atop this wretched railing. I reached out to save it from a
doomed fate of toppling to the first floor, but alas, I was too late. I
painfully watched my purple chunk of plastic fall to its death when, by the
grace of God, it hit a cushioned chair, thus breaking its fall. Although my
water bottle was projected another 10 feet from the chair, I had faith in its
ability to still be able to quench my thirst. I ran down the stairs, picked up
my beloved water bottle, and rejoiced.
Now, after
reading this, many of you may think it is not funny at all; you’re saying to
yourself, “Mackie is so weird,” but let me explain. One of the reasons that I found this event to
be so comical is because of its application to the Relief Theory. This past week, I have been stressed out of
my mind, and I have felt as if I am carrying the weight of the world. Furthermore, I have been nitpicking every
little detail that goes wrong in my life rather than just letting them go. However, when my water bottle plummeted to
the to the first floor, I could not help but to laugh. It was something so insignificant and so
silly, but it made me laugh because I had so many pent up emotions inside
myself. I needed to laugh to calm down
and to recollect thoughts. This moment
provided me a quick break from reality; it was like a ten-second vacation.
Furthermore,
in relation to humor possessing a social function, I agree with the humorists
that think something is only funny when it is experienced by a group (but only
in this specific situation). While I
laughed out of relief and partly out of embarrassment, I think the entire
situation would have been funnier if there were witnesses to this event and if
they had laughed, too.
When it
comes down to it, though, I have a bizarre sense of humor. Moreover, it is important to note that I
think virtually everything is funny, so it does not take much to make me to
laugh. This relates to one of the main
lessons I learned in class: humor is relative.
Each person has his/her own perspective; what may be funny to one person
may be highly offensive to another. While
I realize that not all humorous stories, jokes, or cartoons hold the same
meaning for everyone, I also acknowledge that humor makes the world a happier
place. After all, who doesn’t like to
laugh (that’s a rhetorical question)?
I'm so glad your water bottle (and mental state) survived the fall.
ReplyDeletexoxo,
Sarah
Just picturing this happening was enough to make me laugh, Mackie! I would pay to have seen someone's reaction to a water bottle bouncing ten feet off a chair right beside them! I feel like the rec is such a prime place for awkward, funny things to happen, it's not your fault...happen's to the best of us!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this story! It is one of those things you can look back on and just laugh. I mean, what are the odds of the water bottle hitting a cushion, and what would have happened had it not (or maybe you don't want to think about that)? I also agree with your statement that humor is relative, and I think the context of it is also equally important. Anyway, I hope you're less stressed this week! Only three more days of class!
ReplyDeleteThis is hilarious. Like Thomas said, picturing this scene was enough to make me burst into laughter. What a great example of the relief theory. I'm glad your water bottle survived the fall and you were able to laugh it off.
ReplyDeleteI liked this water bottle story! It is simple events like this that help us deal with life's stress. I think its really neat that you are constantly looking for the humor in even minor details such as a falling water bottle. Plus, what better way to be healthy than to be laughing AT the gym?
ReplyDelete