LOL

For the past two summers, my husband has been my morning chauffeur, driving me to work each day. With two cars and four drivers in the family, coordinating rides is a necessity, so it’s become our routine for him to drop me off, freeing up a car for everyone else. I can’t remember exactly when this ritual began, but it’s now second nature when my husband pulls up to the front of my building and I’m at the door, I turn around for our signature goodbye wave. Only after the simple gesture does he drive away, and I head into my day.

One morning, as I executed my customary wave, I was unaware that someone was standing directly behind me. As I spun around, arm raised in farewell to my husband, a man—apparently caught in the crossfire of my enthusiastic gesture—smiled and said, “Hi.” I couldn’t help but smile at him and giggle out loud as I walked away. I didn’t have the heart to explain that my wave wasn’t meant for him, but it felt like a two-for-one special: one wave, two recipients, and a little laugh to start my morning.

**

Something you might not know about me is that I favor online shopping. Browsing virtual catalogs from the comfort of my home is infinitely preferable to pacing endless mall corridors. My routine is simple—order, try on, keep or return. However, there’s a catch: sometimes I love an item so much that I forget to remove the tags after I've decided to keep it. More than once, I’ve strutted out the door, proud of my new ensemble, only to discover later—often with horror—that price tags are peeking boldly from my back like little flags announcing my absentmindedness to the world.

Most recently, this happened at work. As one of the first to arrive at the office, I had the quiet space all to myself. That morning, as I settled in and caught my reflection in the window, I casually slipped off my jacket—and out popped two glaring tags dangling from my armpit. Shock and amusement washed over me in equal measure. I couldn’t believe I’d done it again. Chuckling at my own forgetfulness, I quickly grabbed a pair of scissors and snipped the evidence away, hoping no one else had witnessed my latest fashion faux pas.

In a world filled with stressful news and daily pressures, these silly little mishaps are exactly what I need. They remind me to find humor in the everyday and to laugh at myself more often. Life is too short to take everything so seriously—sometimes a good laugh at your own expense is the best antidote.