A girl just wants to have fun

I've always loved making people laugh. The urge likely occurred before then, but I was four when I performed this special dance my dad called the Turkey Dance. It made him crow with pleasure. (Thinking about it this morning brings to mind my grandson. He loves to elicit laughs, and he too exhibits some crazy dance moves.)  

When I was nine, I lost one of my front, permanent teeth on a piece of playground equipment. (It drives me nuts when I hear people reminiscing about "the good old days when metal playground equipment was good enough for us, and no one ever got hurt.") The accident wasn't funny. But I was fitted with a fake tooth on a plate, and the comedy began. I captured my grade school audience every time I licked a Sugar Daddy (for those of you with Candy Knowledge Impairment, it's caramel on a stick). With an extravagant motion, I would lick my candy and pull it out of my mouth, bringing with it the plate with a single tooth. Sure, I grossed out my classmates. But don't think they didn't relish it. 

When I was in high school, I no longer resorted to those childish ways. Instead, I was known for my joke-telling ability. Everyone knew you could count on Bonnie for a good, dirty joke. (Is that what's referred to as an oxymoron?)

Fortunately, I grew out of that phase once I matured a bit more.

Fast forward to having kids. I loved making my kids laugh. I blew raspberries on bellies, played with them endlessly, and read them hundreds of silly books (or possibly the same book hundreds of times). 

That's when I first realized I wanted to write children's books, mostly with the intention of making kids laugh but also with the intention of writing books that adults would love just as much as their tiny-shaped audience.  

At any rate, when I write, I nearly always think that what I say has value, what I say is good, what I say is terribly hilarious. I can't help myself; the bottom line is that I crack myself up. Maybe that feeling won't get me any awards or even get me published, but making myself laugh is a  pretty good trick to maintaining my well being.

But now I'm going to include two videos that have nothing to do with dancing or making lemonade out of lemons or writing. They emphasize silliness and even bravery; they're about overcoming shyness and conquering the fear of singing in public, knowing I'm a terrible singer. They're about making people laugh.

Remember this joke? Someone went to a doc to find out what was wrong with him. The doc said, "You're crazy!" The man said, "Hey! I want a second opinion!" The doc said, "You're ugly, too!"

Hahahahahaha

The video quality of Lola is much better than the video of Marge Simpson, taken two years earlier. If you have to choose one to watch, choose Lola. The setting is a talent show at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Huntsville, Alabama. (If there's ever a forgiving audience, it's among friends.)