The holiday, by nature, can be stressful. Throw in another wave of a pandemic that can impact our health, upend our preparations and wreak havoc on travel plans, it would be understandable if many of us are as they say, “at our wit’s end.”
But to quote the writer, Rudyard Kipling, “If you can keep your wits about you while all others are losing theirs, and blaming you. The world will be yours and everything in it.”
One way I try to do this, is to actually seek out the wit of others. There are all kinds of humor but perhaps the most satisfying to see, read or hear, is a quick mind at work.
As Webster’s defines it, people displaying “a natural aptitude for using words and ideas in a quick and inventive way to create humor.”
Recently, I’ve been listening to the podcast, SmartLess. The three hosts – Jason Batemen, Will Arnett and Sean Hayes, are full of wit and wonder. Their banter and shorthand is as quick as it is sharp. Over the last week, while out shopping or walking my dog, I have found myself bursting out in laughter listening to their witty exchanges with each other and their guests. Interestingly, only one of the hosts knows who the guest is in advance – meaning the others have not had any time to prepare for their conversation or interview. Instead they need to rely solely on their wits.
In an attempt to join in on this fun, I wrote this piece for Esquire. It is a simple and hopefully wit-filled reflection on what it means to have a Christmas birthday.
I wrote it with the sole hope that it might put a smile on a few faces during a time when they can too often be in short supply.
I hope you enjoy.
Here’s to keeping our wits about us and finding a few ways to end 2021 with some laughs.