One of the most awkward situations is when two strangers are in an elevator. Two people in such a tiny box, for what seems to be an eternity, is something that happens to many of us at least once a day. Being in such small space automatically make us feel somehow intimate. Yet the person standing so close to us is a complete stranger.
Each person deals with the situation differently, some avoid eye contact, pretending the other person simply doesn’t exist. Some embrace the friendlier approach and smile, say hello and even try to strike up a 20-second conversation, attempting to fit in all they have to say in that brief period. Which one are you??
I think I belong to a slightly odd and freakish species… you see whenever I am nervous, scared or even a little tense, I burst out laughing! I kid you not, I have laughed in the weirdest and most unusual situations. Not because I think it’s funny, nope! But because somehow this is the mechanism my body uses to get over those unwelcome and slightly puzzling situations. The elevator scenario isn’t the only place that my uncommon reaction happens. I can’t count how much this very unusual little quirk of mine has helped me push through the hardships of life. Somehow when you laugh things become easier and lighter, not only for you, but for the person in front of you too, and therefore the whole situation takes on a different flavour.
To be honest, this never bothers me, it actually helps me feel better, fit better and just relax and get back into my comfort zone, with all sorts of funny, weird and very bizarre memories.
A few months ago, at Bahrain’s Royal Camel Farm, with a bunch of other moms, and our kids, we went to see a baby camel that was only seven days old. While there, the baby got a bit agitated and out of nowhere the mama flew by kicking one of the little boys, standing there, about three times. While the other moms screamed, yelled and ran away, I picked up my son, and ran out while laughing so uncontrollably that I thought I would faint! Luckily the little boy was fine. However, I, of course, had to explain to the ladies that I was not crazy, but that this is just what happens to me in similar situations.
This is not something very weird. In fact, humour was, and always has been, the best mechanism the brain has to overcome challenges and hardships one can face in a lifetime. Humour lifts us up and connects us with others, it also brings us home to ourselves. Like everything else it is complicated and nuanced – it can be fortifying or damaging, depending on how we wield it, but as a tool of survival, humour is elemental.
So if you are like me, a weirdo who faces awkwardness with a good fit of laughter, let me know. Share with us how humour has helped you face some big stuff, tell us how you think this method can be adapted and how you think we can make better use of it; in our parenting journey, our marriages, or simply our day to day life.
Chanelmama blogger Ouiam Charkani El Hassani writes exclusively for WTM.
