I’ve found that my memories of past trips are sharpest when connected with a strong emotion. Awe and wonder are rare and should be celebrated. Laughter should be common, a steady companion as you travel.
One of our ongoing jokes, started long before we left home, was my insistance that I should wear a kilt while in Scotland. My wife and daughters cringed at the thought and forbade it. I simply stated that it was the law and I had no choice in the matter.
The shops that advertised kilts to tourists were everywhere. Bagpipes and kilts really were around every corner. It got to the point where I didn’t have to even say anything, just look longingly at a window display to cause them to laugh and rush me along (and no, I never did get to try on a kilt).
And since we were there for the Fringe Festival, comedy was everywhere. Performers ruled the streets. Every show in town also had their cast walking the streets, handing out flyers (my show included). One particularly memorable one was called “No Pants” and the young men handed out flyers with their pants down at their ankles (modestly clad in boxers). I suggested to the girls that I could simply take a supply of their flyers and join them with my pants down and not one of the thousands passing would think a thing. They, surprisingly, found the idea highly amusing, but still forbidden.
Even moments of other people laughing are memorable. While I sat at a cafe table, making notes, my attention was drawn to a young couple standing nearby. She was a plain looking girl and he was tall and thin. They tussled playfully. He bent as if to kiss her and she slid her face past his, turned her head, and bit him on the upper arm. He yelped in surprise, but she burst into laughter and beamed a smile that suddenly made her beautiful. I found myself laughing with them (and they ended up in my notebook).
Travel is a time for exploration and celebration.
I’m not in mood for crying,
Care’s a silly calf.
If to get fat you’re trying,
The only way’s to laugh.From The Vocal Library (and used in my play, Grimaldi: King of the Clowns).
The Notes From The Road: Laugh by Randy Murray, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
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