You crack me up!

I have been getting email lately from a pastor at another church who is coming to do a talk for my seniors. I don't know him at all well, though we have met a few times. I am on a committee with him and up to this point I have considered him a nice, quiet, sort of Eeyore kind of a guy. He says a little at the meetings, I say even less. Me, because I am paying no attention, him, haven't got a clue. At one point in a meeting he made a funny comment I figured was a fluke. However, I did give him a little credit.

I invited him to come speak to my seniors because he repairs coffee grinders and I thought it would be interesting for them. I also exchanged email with him about a softball league and in the process I realized I have seriously underestimated him. He has a great sense of humor and a quick wit. I have enjoyed shooting email back and forth with funny lines and witty comments. He has made me sit in front of my screen and howl on several occasions. I don't know that we will cross paths very often but there have been several days that have been made better because he cracked me up.

Why did I miss he was funny, had a quick mind, and a gift for the absurd? I guess we can't really walk around with a card that says, hey, get to know me better, I am really funny. It would simplify things greatly but it's hard to get funny people to pay attention long enough to give instruction. There is no doubt though that there are people who I recognize as kindred spirits immediately. We connect and I am often doubled over in laughter just a few moments into a conversation. I love people who see things slightly out of kilter just like me, when we can start stacking lines, one on top of the other until we just fall out. That is pure joy.

Then there are sleepers like my friend who surprise me with silliness. I think we all size up folks and put labels on them. I don't mean necessarily judgements, but classification. I usually have two basic categories, kindred spirits and non kindred spirits. If the non kindred spirits are annoying, they move into the stupid sheep category. And stupid sheep are nearly always the largest percentage of the population, so kindred spirits are even more delightful when they wander into your life.

I think I missed the boat about Rev. Funny mostly because my mind was already made up. I decided, long before I went to the first meeting of the committee we share, that there wouldn't be a soul in the room I would like. I have this slight attitude problem with clergy in general and with a large group of them in particular. I am very critical about this particular profession and I am not always very reasonable about my expectations. I know better but it doesn't seem to help me behave better. I think to be a kindred spirit and a pastor is a very rare thing, and I mostly close the door fairly quickly, seems to save time. I am rethinking a little, trying to have a more open mind in this particular area. I am not optimistic about changing this life view, but I will work hard on trying to allow a person to be a kindred spirit based in themselves and not their position.

I hate to tell ya, but I expect I will go on missing the boat. I think I will go on being surprised by the sleepers who will crack me up from time to time. I really think cleaning up your act only goes so far and your nature is your nature. Try as I might I am going to categorize people and decide who is funny and who is not. After all being surprised isn't bad, who knows who will pop up tomorrow with a delightful sense of humor. Those moments of instant connection are surprises in themselves and happen just often enough to remind me what a gift they are.

And in the meantime, I have to go write some more email. I crack myself up.