I’ve been in the humor business for over 40 years, so I guess I could classify myself as an “expert” in the humor business. But, I don’t consider myself a humor expert… just a lot of experiences… good and bad! Over the years, I have never tired of putting a smile on someone’s face, even if it’s just for a few seconds. The sound of laughter is great, and I think everyone likes it. Being in the humor business started for me when I was eleven years old, and I’ve been ever since.

We all know that laughter is the best medicine, and humor has gotten me through the darkest days, and there have been many! Humor has been therapy for me, and I use it through thick and thin! Every time I put a smile on someone’s face, it makes my day and cheers me up. I know that I have done something important to make someone happy and that is important to me.

So how does humor help me cope? Example: I was in the hospital for about a week recently and was admitted to the intensive care unit with bleeding in my stomach. He was conscious and the medical staff were doing tests etc. After I arrived, a nurse came into my room with a clipboard and was going to ask me about 15 questions, so we started.

Every time she would ask me a question, I would reply with a silly and ridiculous answer in an attempt to make her laugh, and then follow up with a direct and serious answer, etc. It was a little game that he played with her, and she seemed to enjoy it. There are two types of humor. 1) memorize jokes and other material for the presentation. 2) Spontaneous humor, where the humor is made in real time… or in the moment. While in the hospital, this was my attempt at spontaneous humor, because I didn’t know what the nurse was going to ask me. The questions and answers went something like this:

Nurse: “Mr. Aragón, do you smoke?”

Jerry: “Only when I’m on fire!”

Nurse: “Mr. Aragón, do you drink?”

Jerry: “Drink what? Tomato juice, milk… what? No, I don’t drink anymore… I don’t drink LESS,

neither!” (Got you!)

Nurse: “Mr. Aragón, are you allergic to something?”

Jerry: “Just a nosy nurse, who keeps asking me dumb questions and won’t let me rest while I’m on my deathbed! Did you hear me…my DEATHBED?”

Nurse: “Mr. Aragón, are you in any pain?”

Jerry: “Yeah, I’ve got a pain in my butt and guess who’s causing it.” (Hint Hint!)

The nurse had a great sense of humor and we had a great time! Anyway, the questions and answers went something like that. I remember a question when I managed to get the nurse on “points”, you know?” Points! Hospital…nurse…surgeon…HELLO…are you with me? (I can’t imagine why so many people think that my mood is so dry and offbeat) After the question and answer session, the nurse left to do her homework for the rest of the day.

Late in the afternoon, and before the day shift ended, the nurse came back to my room and gave me a big hug. “What was that for?” I asked. “That’s for making me laugh this morning and making my day,” she said. and she was gone for the day. The big hug made my day too! And this is an example of how humor helps me cope, and sometimes in serious conditions like being in a hospital. And no, I don’t get hugs everywhere I go, but a smile will help keep my spirits up.

We’ve all made someone laugh at one point or another, and we all know how good that feels. The gratification of putting a smile on someone’s face cannot be measured. And, it doesn’t have to be through the use of humor. We all put smiles on people’s faces in our own unique way.

Give a child a Christmas present on their birthday and watch as that child opens that present. The boy’s face lights up… a big smile on that boy’s face! You get a warm feeling in your heart; maybe a lump in the throat and glassy eyes… right? It’s a warm feeling that you have all over you, and it has nothing to do with humor etc. It has to do with giving!

Mother and father know very well when a child makes them smile. When that child says that first word; he takes that first step; he takes that first wobbly bike ride and starts school etc. Parents have that smile and warm feeling all over them!

Apart from parents, schoolteachers, more than anyone else, know how satisfying it is to see a student write that first sentence; do that first math problem; and pass that first test. And that’s why I think schoolteachers do what they do… the gratification of it all. They deal with students every day… up close and personal. But, everyone puts a smile on someone’s face in their own way. For example:

Farmers and ranchers put food on our tables and that makes us happy, right? What would we do without the truckers and delivery guys who put that food on the table? Engineers that make our lives more comfortable, and all our useful gadgets. All the people who make all the treats we enjoy… baked goods, ice cream, etc. The doctors who keep us healthy. The carriers that take us from one place to another. And what would we do without the garbage cans that make us happy, when they take away the garbage and prevent insects from spreading diseases? The construction people who built our houses, apartments and workplaces etc. Were you happy when you moved into that new house? Retailers, service people, financial people who help us in so many different ways, the list goes on and on!

I worked for an engineering company for more than ten years. And, if there is a piece of metal on the table; wire; epoxy; glue; wire mesh, it wasn’t much by itself. But, put all these things together and you now have measuring devices that investigate: earthquakes; volcanoes; hurricanes; lightning; flood control; airline security and so on. And when I worked in engineering, I always felt like I was making things better for humans, animals and the environment! And indirectly, it was putting a smile on someone’s face somewhere, etc.

So people in the United States share and give of themselves in every occupation and profession. Everyone has something to share, give and contribute to make things better in America and make someone smile. Everyone has a passion that makes that person happy, and hopefully that passion makes others happy as well.

My passion happens to be humor, and I take it with me wherever I go. Humor has been an obsession for me since I was a child! From a very young age, my mission in life has been to put a smile on someone’s face, to make them happy. Humor hasn’t been an 8 to 5 job for me…it’s 24/7! I work every holiday and never take time off… and I love it!