The Body of Humor

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“The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.” – Mark Twain

The other day in the privacy of my back yard, my 6-year-old daughter and her friends were using water balloons to pretend to pee. I started to say something about that being crude humor but then thought of back when I was climbing mountains. I had a She Wee which was a urinary redirector so that girls can stand and pee.

On one climb of Mt. Rainier, I was roped to three of my guy friends and had to pee at 13,500 feet. I walked as far away as I could while roped up, turned my back and used the She Wee. When I turned back to the group, one of my friends was looking at me and said, “Sorry, I couldn’t look away, that was fascinating!” I laughed because it WAS funny and not at all creepy.

What kids know that grown-ups seem to have forgotten is that bodies are funny, amazing and full of wonder. Both of my kids started laughing at “a-choo” by the time they were 6 months old and now most any sneeze, burp or fart makes them break into laughter. Pop a knuckle or get a scratch and they are fascinated. And though they cry when they skin their knees, both are completely entranced by the sight of blood.

The body is great at getting out what it no longer needs. We grow up and try to keep it in – emotions, bad meals, sickness and somehow in the process take it all too seriously. At my age, any twinge of adrenaline and I break out in a full sweat. And when I do yoga in the mornings, I close the doors to the family room just so my groans won’t wake the kids. Instead of trying to pretend it isn’t happening, perhaps I should laugh about it.

Back to funny stories from the mountains. There was the guy I wrote about who came back from the outhouse at 12,500 feet in the Caucasus Mountains saying, “I just spent five minutes dancing with my toilet paper.” And there was another incident on the way to Everest Base Camp in Nepal. We had set up our tents outside Namche Bazar at about 13,000 feet and our guides had created a toilet tent for us – a hole in the ground with a toilet seat sitting atop small luggage rack covered by a tall, skinny tent shaped like a telephone booth. One afternoon the wind came up and knocked over the toilet tent with someone inside. Once we helped him out of all that fabric and determined he wasn’t hurt, it was hilarious.

Perhaps it is because we are vulnerable while we are relieving ourselves that makes us forget that it’s funny. And even this cycle of life, as inglorious as it is, teaches us something. So we might as well eat, drink, and pee merry!

Is your body doing anything funny these days?

(featured photo is Miss O at 6 months laughing at a-choo!)

44 thoughts on “The Body of Humor”

  1. Thank you, Wynne, for yet again sharing another wonderful post with us. You reveal a great deal of range in you writing, which is one of the things that I love about it. I definitely agree with the points that you have made, especially about as we grow (in a egoic perspective) that we can often become far too serious and attempt to keep everything in.

    Life is such a treasure; I’m so grateful. This may seem counter to many stories of people as they age; but I am actually finding myself enjoying greater health than I did when in my thirties and forties. I kid you not. I used to have back issues–would have to stretch every morning before work, and do my crunches to tighten those supportive muscles. I had IBS for twenty-six years–now gone completely since 2011. The Universe works in mysterious ways. During the challenging times post divorce, when my gut acted up, I would still use my affirmations regarding a calm and well-functioning digestive system. In 2011, I was lead to discover that amalgam fillings (of which I had plenty) were 50% mercury and that the off-gassing of mercury to have many health side effects. Started removal a few days later, and the IBS vanished. An affirmation that I use every day for my health, hangs in a couple places in my apartment. It reads: “I Am now vibrant, perfect health, youthful and fit, through and through from head to toe.” I feel its truth every day, and I’m grateful that my belief is working.
    I apologize for making my response a novel in length!

    Liked by 4 people

    1. I love that you are feeling in great health, Art! Your affirmation and work to know it to be true is wonderful. And fantastic what happens when we stop putting ourselves through the ringer – work, relationship, beliefs and/or stress-wise too! So glad you chimed in.

      And I’m laughing about your lovely comment on my wide range of writing. Thank goodness I can write about potty talk as well as the depth of the Universe. Because both are real… 🙂

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  2. You always have the BEST stories! I don’t think I’ll ever forget that quote about dancing with toilet paper LOL! My body creaks these days. It’s a stupid change but I’m hitting my late 30’s hard. 🤷‍♀️ thanks for sharing!!

    Liked by 4 people

  4. When I was on safari in Kenya and Tanzania, one of the girls in our group had a pee bottle that she would use in her tent at night so she wouldn’t have to go out and be eaten by a lion. We made fun of her, but at the same time, if I was a pee-in-the-middle-of-the-night kind of person, a pee bottle would probably start to look pretty appealing.

    I had a lot of toileting issues in India that hit some pretty spectacular heights of grossness, but I guess it’s all just part of the adventure!

    Liked by 5 people

    1. Oh yes – I can see why the pee bottle on safari would be appealing!

      I think you are right that toileting issues are part of the adventure – they sure make us grateful for our unspectacular stories, right? I grew up in the Philippines and what I remember of it was my mom saying “don’t touch ANYTHING” when we went to a public bathroom. It must have been challenging for her to potty train a kid in those circumstances.

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  5. I’m excited to hear a first-hand account of the She-Wee. I’ve always been curious. And, speaking of pee, my body is doing something interesting vis a vis that. It seems that lately, there are only two settings: “I don’t have to go,” and “I have to go RIGHT NOW!” Thank God I have strong Kegels 😂

    Liked by 2 people

    1. That’s funny, Michelle. Well, you still might need those Kegels with the she-wee because you can go too quickly in it otherwise it overwhelms the trough part before it goes out the hose part. I’m only mentioning that because you said you were curious – hope I didn’t cross the line into TMI! 🙂

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  6. That was hilarious Wynne! There isn’t one part of my body- except maybe my eyelashes- that doesn’t do something odd on a regular basis.

    Liked by 3 people

  7. Kids keep us immersed in what makes us human. Once when Eagle was 2, they woke up crying and I picked them up to comfort them. They promptly vomited covering my back in barf! Still funny to think about it.

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    1. Oh, I’m laughing and shaking my head, Rebecca. It reminds me of the time I tried to give my cat a vial of pink liquid antibiotics and I felt so pleased I got it in – until I looked in the mirror and found it all down the back of my neck and hair.

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  8. A welcome reminder to not just give our children good adult models but to learn from the joy they take in simple, silly things. Thank you, Wynne.

    Liked by 3 people

    2. I wonder what it is that makes us often lose that sense of joy and wonder over the years…

      Very intriguing post, and a fantastic quote! Not only is laughter a great weapon, but like yawns and other bodily sounds, is wonderfully contagious 😀

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Good question, EW. I think we get too busy to revel in joy and wonder??

        You are right – it is so contagious. And thank goodness for that!

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  9. drgeraldstein took the words right from my mouth! If only we could hold on to the open and innocent ways in which children view the world. And oy…my body! One thing that happens to me, and I am learning to embrace it as I can’t seem to cure it, is rosacea. I have tried every elimination diet and regardless of what I eat… it’s still right there, plain as day on my face. My last dermatologist told me that it is likely due to emotional stress (I started experiencing it right after my younger brother passed away) and this feel right to me. My husband and I (lovingly) joke that I wear my stress on my face. I can cover it up with make up when I want to, but most of the time I just go au natural and embrace that this is my body’s “thing”. Bonus though… I never need blush!

    Liked by 2 people

  10. Hang on tight to your sense of humor! When you become a grandma someday, you will wind that the kids who grew up freely to laugh at body noises and functions grow up into adults who raise their kids to do the same thing! You’ll find a whole new receptive audience, eager too laugh at the involuntary farts and burps which come from advancing age! …ask me how I know! LOL!!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Well, it’s slightly better than having to bare your tush in front of 3 guys! 🙂 The she-wee does work pretty well although you have to control the flow because otherwise it can overfill the trough before it has time to go out the tube. Hope that’s not TMI… 🙂 🙂

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  12. Once while camping with my kids, we went outside to relieve ourselves in the dark – and a loud roar sent us scurrying back inside for cover.

    My son was so traumatized, he stored a “pee cup” in his bedroom for years afterward.

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  13. I love that name She Wee! I wonder if it’s trademarked. Such a genius name. 😆

    T is at the age when farts and burps are the most hilarious thing in the world. I and other grown ups get irritated when he’s fake burping in our faces. But you reminded me is this is a normal part of growing up. So thank you!

    Enjoy those water balloons.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Ha, ha! Yes, we love the water balloons – the brilliant ones where you attached the bunch directly to the hose so you don’t have to tie them off? And then if you squeeze them, they can double as squirting devices for whatever purposes… 🙂

      Yes, a normal part of growing up – said well, my friend!

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  14. What a life of adventure you’ve lived, Wynne! My travel-writer ex-colleagues used to need the Go Girl whenever they were travelling rough for stories, and I’d always appreciated the ability to pee wherever I wanted to with minimal fuss as a guy. The most harrowing toilet experience for me was when I’d had an upset stomach in an overnight train in Vietnam. Not only did I have to go in the unpredictable and jerky train cubicle, but I also had to follow up at the train station, which also had some dodgy toilets. ‘Vulnerable’ is the exact word to use when relieving ourselves, lol. Thanks for this post, Wynne!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Oh, a train — that sounds harrowing, Stuart! As does the train station. I’m laughing about the vulnerability – yes, that is it in a word!

      And I’d never heard of the type “Go girl” but isn’t that a brilliant name? 🙂 Thanks for reading and commenting!

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  15. There must be some basic instinct in humans connected to bodily functions and humour, Wynne. In a long career as a police officer I’ve been caught short in some strange places, but never suspended from the side of a mountain. Your post brought to mind an out-take from the film, Revenge of the Pink Panther, where Inspector Clouseau (dressed as a gangster) was scripted to be filmed breaking wind. The scene was never included in the film as they could not get a shot where Peter Sellars was not doubled up with laughter.

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    1. Oh, I’m laughing, Davy! I can’t imagine how funny it was to film Peter Sellars trying to follow the script and laughing about it. Hilarious! Thanks for sharing that story.

      And how interesting to think of this from the perspective of a police officer!

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  16. Oh, what a glorious story and I am glad you posted it. I purchased a pink ‘Go-Girl’ for a trip to Morocco and found it rather a challenge to use. On that trip my husband had the advantage!!!!

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    1. I hadn’t heard of the Go-Girl until this post. What a great name for that device! Sorry to hear it didn’t work so well. Definitely not as foolproof as the built in equipment. 🙂 I bet Morocco was a wonderful trip!

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