I read a quote recently that said you are finally a grownup when you can laugh at yourself. Whether or not that’s true (children seem to me to have a genuine capacity for laughter), this is a beautiful quality. It lightens things up and creates a space for us to reach a higher plane.

Last week I had an experience. I was in my studio practicing, and for some reason I was in a mood where everything seemed funny. It was all around me.

Right at the height of it, this girl called from a credit card company. We chatted back and forth a bit, and I liked her accent so I asked her where she was from. She said Guatemala, and I said, “oh, cool.” in an awkward, clueless way. For some reason, this immediately struck us both as so funny we could barely finish the call. We were both pushing down the urge to burst out laughing, which of course made it stronger. I can’t say why this happened, except that it was just in the air.

I believe I brightened her day a little, and made an actual connection with a human being. It felt good.

Tristan L. Sullivan

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