In my experience, people are generally pretty funny

I work in Human Resources.  Consequently, much of my professional life revolves around people and their relationships at work; and with work.  I will admit it privately, just between us, that there are days when I feel like hanging a sign over my desk that reads "I would love my Human Resources job if it wasn't for all the humans."

People have an unparalleled capacity for mischief, unreasonable expectations, rude behavior, etc... like I gotta tell you all that.  You know all that, right? I'm sure you do.  Sometimes I giggle at the stories my friends tell about their work, thinking "Man if I worked in Human Resources at your joint would I ever think you are a handful..."

Mostly, however, when I talk to people or watch them at work or play, I am reminded at how much people are just funny.  I have always held that to be good at Human Resources, you have to have a deep and abiding love of people in general.  A strong ability to forgive and forget and move on without judging (generally).

So as a quasi-academic in this field; and as a professional of some 13+ years experience in Human Resources, and a blogger on things in general; I hope to include here an occassonal feature. My own take on celebrating the best in people - their capacity to be fun.  So allow me to introduce the first edition of the "People are Fun" chronicles.

Chapter the First:  Years ago I was at Sparrow Hospital, waiting anxiously outside an operating room while a loved one was inside.  To pass the time, I watched three maintenance employees going about their work in the drop ceiling of a hallway.  One by one these bawdy roughnecks would disappear up into the ceiling, monkey around up there doing their work, and then climb down and move their ladder to a new location only to begin again the same ritual. 

From the pointed banter and their frequent insults to each other, I took it that they were probably long term co-workers who were accustomed to giving each other crap. So it was fun for me to just kind of eavesdrop on them as they talked about each others' wives, insulted each others' looks or intelligence, and in at least one case expounded on the potentcy of one co-worker's flatulence.

This tableau is on display in the "People are funny" wing of Small Town Dad because of what happened when one of them inadvertently dropped a flashlight through the ceiling and it struck one of the other co-workers square on the bridge of his foot.

The crash was loud enough.  The stream of exclamations and curse words following it was louder still.  The victim let the light-dropper know in no uncertain terms that he was upset.  I distinctly remember him calling him an "idiot" and a "jerk" and making commentary on exactly who he was a son of.

I watched this all with a greater degree of interest because of where I work in the Human Resources office. See, if I worked at this hospital, I would be the one getting the call after the one employee cussed out the other employee.  Employee misconduct is kind of the "coin of the realm" in my little corner of the Human Resources world.

As I said,  I watched with voyeuristic interest to see what would happen next.  Would the employee, still hidden from view in the ceiling, return fire with a cussing barrage of his own?  Would he come down and settle the matter with his fists, or would he just leave in a huff and get the boss?  I recognized from my long experience dealing with pissed off employees that all of those were distinct possibilities.  I always heard about what happened after-the-fact, but in my entire career rarely have I ever been there to witness it first hand.

What I heard from the rough, burly, butt-crack-sportin maintenance man hidden up in the ceiling, instead of any commotion, rebuttal or fisticuffs, was merely a plaintive, almost child like appeal to the cussor from the cussee.  He said:

"Hey man...I don't know what why you gotta treat me like that in front of everybody.  I got feelings too you know..."

The proclamation was so out of character and innocent and surprising that the entire room, victim and all, broke out into immediate laughter.  People all around recognized that a moment's fun was the exact thing that was needed at that moment.

Chapter the Second:  Comes from my son's fencing class.  I was watching two kids go at it like Robin Hood and Nottingham -just blasting away at each other with savage saber swipes and jabs.  One of them, the taller of the two, seemed to be getting the upper hand and, to emphasize his bravado, started quoting from Star Wars - the famous scene where Obi Wan Kenobi fights Darth Vader:

"If you strike me down now..." he said, pressing his advantage, forcing his smaller opponent into a back corner of the gym, "...I shall become more powerful than you can possibly im...."

At that moment, just when the taller kid raised his sword arm and was going to finish off the littler kid with a blow to the head while simultaneously concluding the dramatic Obi-Wan quote, the smaller kid struck.

"THHHHHHHWAAACK!"  The backhand slice through the armpit of the raised sword-arm was so fast and loud and powerful, it quieted the entire gym.

Suddenly, Darth Vader changed his tune.  "Craaaa-AAAIG!" he squealed, writhing in pain. "Why did you have to go and hit me in the back?"  He doubled over to the side and said, almost crying.  "That really hurt!" 

I couldn't help myself - I was dying laughing and had to leave the gym quickly.  Just the sight of "Darth Vader" going from Dark Lord of the Sith,  Mr. "if you strike me down now, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine..." one moment, to 12-year old victim of the dreaded "Craaaaa-AAAIG" the next had me howling inside.

And the third entry for this edition of the People are Funny chronicles comes in the form of a picture.  I have no idea what image word search I was doing on the internet, but I found this while poking around for one of my blog entries and thought I would share it.  The naughtiness of it is m'eh as far as pictures go, but what struck me really was their faces - how much fun they are having.  It convinced me that, at their very essence, people just want to have fun.

So, thanks for stopping by my blog today. I hope this day, whatever challenges, worries, or important matters are crowding you in, you find a way to make elbow room to enjoy something fun, or silly, or pleasant. Have a great day :-)