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Amongst other things, this is a love story.... the theme changes occasionally... this year it is fitness and learning to love yourself.

15 April 2015

Laughter is the best medicine #atozchallenge Care for the Carers

Two days after her 73rd birthday my Mum took her final breath. She had Alzheimers and Motor neurone disease. For her final 3 months I was her main carer. A privilege I am grateful for and will cherish forever. This years #atozchallenge theme will focus on being a carer / care-giver.


Remember to care for the carers.  


Laughter is the best medicine.





Mum always had a great sense of humour. To pass the time I'd google search non jokes or anti jokes and read through dozens of them to find one's that she understood. Most of these jokes she didn't find very funny, but every so often she would giggle and say 'that's a good one.' So I would repeat it. 


What's big, white and can't climb a tree?
A refrigerator.

Some nights my saviour and I (disguised as a best friend that gave me a place to retreat whenever I needed it with lots of love, support and an endless supply of tea) would read these jokes out and scream with laughter. Mindless/ literal/ dumb jokes that lack meaning and hardly anyone else finds funny. They filled the empty spaces without much effort and gave us a reason to giggle, smirk or belly laugh when our minds needed a break, but just couldn't rest.  

Some of them are provocative and require setting your ego aside or laughing at yourself to find funny. Others are just so literal and simple, I can't help but complement the genius of the mind that makes them up - even the first one which I can completely understand if you don't find funny.



What's green and has wheels?
Grass, I lied about the wheels.

What's brown and sticky?
A stick.

What's worse than finding a worm in your apple?
The Holocaust.

What do you call a man with a spade in his head?
An ambulance.

Why does Michael J Fox make the best smoothies? 

Because he uses quality ingredients.

Ask me if I'm an Orange.  

"Are you an orange?"
No

What did the farmer say when he lost his tractor?  

"Where's my Tractor?"


What's red and smells like blue paint? 
Red paint

I still remember what my granddad said just before he kicked the bucket.  

"I wonder how far I can kick this bucket."

What's blue and fluffy?
Blue fluff.

What's red and bad for your teeth?
A brick.

What do you get when you cross a joke with a rhetorical question?




I've never seen the last one make anyone laugh, but I still find it funny. Did any of them make you giggle a little or laugh a lot?



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14 comments :

  1. I've never really been a fan of anti-jokes, but a few of these made me chuckle! The first two in the longer list especially! Whenever I am feeling down and out I always ask my husband to cheer me up and he always manages to find something funny to make me laugh!
    Brandy from Brandy's Bustlings

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    Replies
    1. If you liked the first one then you might like, "what does a duck and bicycle have in common? - the handlebars - except for the duck!...

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  2. What's black and white and read all over? When you say it, it sounds like red. Answer, a newspaper. They don't usually make me laugh out loud, but a smile or chuckle maybe.

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  3. The "orange" one for me… don't know why!
    What a great post. I was moved by it. I am lucky to still have my mother around, she'll be 83 in June. Sounds to me like your friend was as blessed as you with a funny bone that really works!

    Jenny, Pearson Report
    2015 A to Z Challenge Ambassador
    @PearsonReport

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    Replies
    1. I spent a whole day with my friends kids asking back and forth... Ask me if I'm a table... a chair... a tree, an orange, a purple elephant with daisy's painted on my sides... No - and my funny friend tells me it was a running joke at her school for years. :) I feel lucky, as you are to have your Mother with you still. Good health to both of you

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  4. How do you get 4 elephants into a Mini (car). Two in the backseat two in the front.
    How do you get 4 giraffes into a Mini. Take out the elephants first.

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  5. Levity is a must for caregivers and the cared for, Ida. I'm sure your mum appreciated your attempts even though she didn't always laugh.

    BTW, I like the last one the best -- about a joke and rhetoric.

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    Replies
    1. I love that one too... - and thanks for adding your blog

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  6. Sorry, I keep forgetting to add my blog URL: http://thescheherazadechronicles.org. (I haven't checked my gmail email in eons. I suppose I should.

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  7. Oh my gosh, hilarious! Thank you for the laughs!

    --Mee (The Chinese Quest)

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Enjoy