Student/Teacher Essay

Marianne Carlton Fisher
Teacher Category
Greater Clark County Schools
Jeffersonville, Indiana

 

Children and Friends and Laughter – Oh, My! 

Comedy Central performers have nothing on my son and daughter when it comes to being funny.  I have laughed at them until my stomach literally hurt with the lovely pain that only laughter can bring.  They quote movies Planes, Trains, and Automobiles was their favorite until Napoleon Dynamite came along – and their repartee can keep me in stitches for hours.  Our favorite scene, however, is from Vacation when Eddie, a down-and-out relative, asks Clark for a loan.  Being the good fellow and family man that he is, Clark obligingly pulls out his wallet and says, “Sure, Eddie.  How much do you need?”  Eddie responds with, “Oh, about $52,000!”  We can’t let classic scenes like this slip away, so all of us frequently use the line in daily situations and burst out laughing every single time!

What really brought this little humor thing home for me happened last spring because a friend took laughter and kicked it up a notch for me.  I was diagnosed with cancer in March and had surgery scheduled for April.  I hadn’t really made this public because cancer is such a personal and private issue – besides being the most frightening and life-changing experience a person could ever have.  Scott and I were finishing a meeting, and he handed me a bracelet - one of those rubber bracelets that come in various colors and have sayings printed on them.  This one read Live, Laugh, Love.  Scott simply said, “I think you should have this.  I got it from Saranne Rothberg after I spoke at the AATH Conference.”  How could he have known that I was facing cancer?  I don’t know, but he did.  Scott is one of those persons who not only believes in the value of laughter but who lives the mantra on a daily basis.  He taught me that although I was facing the darkness, I should embrace the light – live, laugh, love – and let that laughter provide comfort and healing throughout the uncertain journey that was facing me. 

I am now cancer free, but not laughter free!  I’ll never forget the impact that Scott’s gesture of kindness and compassion had on my life.  It’s hard to laugh in the face of cancer, but it can be done.  I’m living proof of that fact. 

Now that I’m healthy and happy, what else could I possibly need? 

Hmm…let’s see:  About $52,000?