Humor Being To The Rescue

A few years ago, I was speaking in the Midwest. I needed to stock up on writing accessories, so I drove to a nearby K-Mart. As I proceeded to purchase my goods, I noticed there was only one register open, so I took my place at the end of a long line. While waiting, I heard the people in the line mumbling something about the attitude of the young woman working the register. As I proceeded closer to the register, I understood what everyone was talking about. This woman did have a major attitude problem. What amazed me the most was how everyone was making it their problem. The guy in back of me apparently found the need to add more fuel to the fire by venting loud enough for everyone to hear, “Who does she think she is? I’m going to go over there and give her a piece of my mind!” I’m thinking, “Oh this is great. Somebody with no mind at all is going to give somebody else a piece of it.” At that point, I noticed that everyone was feeding off of everyone else’s negativity.

Now I guess my sense of humor was at an all time high that day. Because right in the middle of this negative frenzy, I took off my shoe, put it by my ear, and said (in a voice like Maxwell Smart from the old television series, “Get Smart”) “Hello Chief. (Everyone in line just stared at me) Yes, this is Max. Well, I’m at K-Mart and apparently the woman behind the register is a spy. How can I tell? She has a bug up her butt!” There wasn’t a person in that line that wasn’t filled with tears of laughter. In fact, the guy behind me said, “Hey, can I use your shoe? I have to call my wife!”

What an amazing turn of events. One moment everyone was wallowing in negativity. The next they were all laughing. The woman behind the counter, she didn’t get it at all. In fact, she was more upset then she was before. She looked at me and said, “That is so stupid! A grown man talking to his shoe. There’s no phone in there!”

I learned a very important lesson that day. Some people take their jobs and their lives too seriously. The refuse to acknowledge they have a sense of humor.