Be In On The Joke

I’m terrified of the sound of a smoke alarm. 

I used to live in an old townhouse, with old appliances, and old alarms. And every time the oven was on (whether something was actually burning or not) the fire alarm would inevitably go off. And for whatever reason, my whole body would shake with stress and fear - sometimes long after the alarm had stopped. 

This became a real challenge because I love to bake! And my most relaxing hobby was quickly becoming my most stressful. 

Now, I live in a newer house with a newer oven and newer alarms that work as they’re supposed to. 

But even so, it took me a while to trust them. I didn’t like to cook anything on the stovetop that might make the house smokey. So, I bought a grill.

The first time I fired it up, my dad warned me there might be some initial smoke. But even with his warning, I could feel my body tensing… the stress already pumping through my bloodstream. And within a few minutes, I heard…

BEEP BEEP BEEP!

Panic ensued. I turned the burner off and threw open the lid to let things cool down. But it didn't make any sense… I was outside and the windows were closed. There is no way the smoke could have made its way inside to set off the alarms. How could this have happened?!

After a few deep breaths, I noticed the sound wasn’t coming from inside. I peered around the side of the house and found…

…an Amazon truck… backing down my street…

BEEP BEEP BEEP!

I immediately started laughing! 

I tell you this ridiculous story because I believe the Universe has an amazing sense of humor. It often communicates with me through this sort of benevolent trickery. 

Rob Bell describes this experience perfectly - it was “like the divine was winking at me, like I was gradually being let in on the joke…”.

Life is too short to be taking everything (especially ourselves) so seriously. To be carrying it all with such weight and heaviness. For me, this became a lesson in levity and a reminder to be in on the joke. To take things seriously but also to hold them lightly (one of the greatest and most rewarding paradoxes).

*image by James Norbury