Long Story Short by Daniel Beyer for January 15, 2021

He died laughing

Death said “laugh at me, will you?”

The punch line was, “…and the undertaker couldn’t wipe the smile off of his face.” I can’t tell the joke here…

This guy finds himself in prison, tax evasion but not very well. Obviously he’s nervous but his cellmate assures him he will help him learn the rules. That night our new guy hears prisoners yelling out numbers followed by laughter. He asks “What’s the significance of guys calling out numbers and people laughing?” The old-timer says “Well when you’ve been in prison long enough you’ve heard all the jokes so rather than waste time we call out the number of a joke from the List. Guys recognize the joke and laugh accordingly.” The newbie listens for a while and decides he’ll give it a try so he calls out “Seventy three!” Dead silence follows. “Hey old-timer why didn’t they laugh?” “Well son, some people just can’t tell jokes.”

I do think laughter makes a good eulogy. I believe a memorial should be an exuberant celebration of a life lived well, New Orleans-style.

At least he went out with a smile! ;)

A lot can be said for dying happy…