NINE
THE GIFT OF
LAUGHTER
Laughter is good medicine for the soul.
Our world is desperately in need
of more such medicine.
Our world is desperately in need
of more such medicine.
When you become an
octogenarian, you find yourself dealing with your memories and your
mortality. I was sitting in my office thinking of all the wonderful
memories I carried with me, and my mind drifted back to Red
Stevens.
I had just gotten out
of law school and opened my office. The sign on the door read,
Hamilton and Associates. The Associates part was more of a wish
than a reality, as I spent the majority of each day by
myself.
One day, I heard the
bell on the outer door ring. I knew that my part-time secretary had
already left for the day, so I got up and rushed out to see who it
was. There stood a formidable man I later learned was Red Stevens.
He told me that he was going to be the biggest oil man and the
biggest cattleman in Texas, and he was looking for a good lawyer.
He said that he had called the best law school in America and
learned that I had graduated first in my class the previous
spring.
He just smiled that
huge smile I came to know and love, and boomed, “So I thought the
best lawyer in the world and the best oil man and cattleman in the
world ought to get together.”
It didn’t seem to
bother either of us that I was a lawyer fresh out of law school
with no clients, and he was an oil man and a cattleman without any
oil or cattle. It began that simply and grew into a longtime
professional and personal relationship.
My thoughts of Red
were interrupted when Miss Hastings stuck her head into my office
and said that Jason Stevens was waiting for us in the conference
room.
Red appeared on the
video screen and said, “Well, Jason, you’ve made it through six
months of this twelve-month project. I want to remind you that
you’ve come a long way, but you have a long way to go, and if at
any point your attitude or your conduct does not meet Mr.
Hamilton’s expectations, we will end this journey immediately, and
you will not receive the ultimate gift, which is the bequest I have
left to you in my will.
“This month, you are
going to learn about the gift of laughter. The gift of laughter I
want you to learn about is not a comedian in a nightclub or a funny
movie. It is the ability to look at yourself, your problems, and
life in general, and just laugh. Many people live unhappy lives
because they take things too seriously. I hope you have learned in
the last six months that there are things in life to be serious
about and to treasure, but life without laughter is not worth
living.
“This month, I want
you to go out and find one example of a person who is experiencing
difficulties or challenges in his or her life but who maintains the
ability to laugh. If a person can laugh in the face of adversity,
that individual will be happy throughout life.
“At the end of the
month, you will report to Mr. Hamilton and Miss Hastings about the
individual you have found and what you have learned from him or her
about the gift of laughter.”
Red Stevens began
laughing and said, “Someday, Jason, you will have to ask Ted to
tell you about some of the laughable situations we got ourselves
into in the olden days.” As Red continued laughing to himself, the
screen went black.
Jason asked, “What is
he talking about, Mr. Hamilton?”
I smiled and replied,
“That would, indeed, be for another time and another place, but for
now, young man, it is time for you to get serious about the gift of
laughter.”
At that, Miss
Hastings walked Jason out of the office.
Our firm’s private
investigator, Reggie Turner, discreetly followed Jason throughout
the month. Reggie reported that Jason seemed to be going about his
normal routine and did not appear to be showing any outward signs
of exploring the gift of laughter.
On the last day of
the month, Miss Hastings buzzed me to say that Jason had called and
asked if he could stop by in the afternoon. I told her that would
be fine, and she let me know that Jason had informed her he would
be bringing someone with him.
At the appointed
hour, Miss Hastings escorted Jason into my office along with
another young man who was obviously blind. He wore dark glasses and
carried a white cane. Miss Hastings seemed uncomfortable as she
watched the blind man walk across the office, and I must admit to
feeling a bit of apprehension myself.
“Mr. Hamilton and
Miss Hastings,” Jason said, “I’d like you to meet David
Reese.”
Mr. Reese held his
hand out and said, “Long time, no see.”
It took me a moment
to overcome my anxiety and to be able to enjoy his humor. I shook
his hand, and we all sat down.
“I met David on a
commuter train last week,” Jason explained. “We talked during the
train trip and several times since, over the phone. He is simply
the best example I can imagine of the gift of
laughter.”
David Reese blurted
out, “Yeah, David told me that you guys needed a few laughs around
here, so he dragged me in.”
David turned his head
to the right and said, “Boy, this is really a beautiful
office.”
“Thank you,” I said
and was about to tell him about my furnishings when I realized he
had been pulling my leg. We all laughed.
I asked Jason, “What
was it about this young man that made you believe he had the gift
of laughter when you first met him on the train?”
David Reese cut in
and answered, “It was my magazine trick, sir.”
I smiled and asked,
“Okay, what’s the magazine trick?”
David Reese
explained. “Some of the commuter trains are not as clean as they
should be, so whenever the seats are dusty, people often sit on
magazines. Since I can’t tell when they’re clean and when they’re
not, I always sit on a magazine. While Jason and I were getting
acquainted on the train, a gentleman behind me, as people often do
when they’re looking for something to read on the train, asked me
if I was reading the magazine.”
At that point, Jason
began laughing out loud and interrupted. “Right after the guy asked
David, ‘Are you reading that magazine? ’ David stood up, turned the
page, sat back down, and said, ‘Yes, sir, but I’ll be done before
long.’”
When our laughter
died down, I asked David how and when he developed the gift of
laughter. He explained that he lost his sight early in life and had
dealt with many struggles and challenges, not the least of which
being people treating him poorly.
“Mr. Hamilton,
sometimes in life, either you laugh or you cry,” he said. “And I
prefer to laugh.”
I thought about David
Reese and what a wonderful outlook he had on life. His gift of
laughter had not only benefited him, but everyone around him,
including me. I told Jason that he had certainly fulfilled the
assignment for this month.
As Jason walked with
David Reese out of the office, David stopped, turned, and said,
“Mr. Hamilton, I wanted to tell you before I left—I think that’s a
beautiful tie you have on.”
I was halfway through
thanking him for the compliment when I realized he had done it to
me again. He and Jason could be heard laughing all the way down the
hall to the elevator. Miss Hastings was laughing softly as
well.
“So, what are you
laughing about?” I finally asked her.
“Well, it is a nice
tie,” she replied.