Will my jokes be better if I had better glasses?

People who don't know me will, more often than not, conclude that I lack a funny bone.  A few years ago, in response to my disagreeing point of view on a serious professional matter, one senior faculty wrote about me in an email to a few, including me, "Some people have no sense of humor."  The strange things faculty write in official, work-related emails!

The real me, when people do get to know me, even if it is in the classroom where I am the instructor and they are students, is a person who loves humor.  Often the jokes might be funny only to me, yes, but, hey I enjoy them.

I grew up with humor all around me.  Classmates, cousins, some of the older relatives.  But, most of all, the magazines in Tamil and English that had plenty of jokes and cartoons.  Madan's cartoons were my favorite of them all.  In one of his cartoons, a patient is at the pre-op stage, and he asks the surgeon whether he would be able to play the violin after the surgery.  To which the surgeon replies that he will, of course, be able to play the violin. Then the punchline: "Amazing, because I do not know how to play the violin."

It doesn't take much to amuse me, yes, but for the young fellow that I was then, this cartoon was way up in the humor stratosphere.  This joke is also one that I often use whenever I am in some healthcare context.  Like earlier today.

When younger, getting a new pair of glasses to adjust for the fuzziness in sight was no hassle.  The new lenses worked fine from the moment I wore them.  Now that I am well into that dreaded middle age, for a couple of years it has been nothing but hassles.  This time has been the worst of them all.  My eyes and my brain are simply refusing to work with the new lenses.  I was in for a third consultation for them to further fine-tune the prescription.

When I checked in at the front desk, by now we were all too familiar.  When healthy, I didn't know about these people and now with multiple visits in a short period of time, we know each other way too well.

"A glazed doughnut and a tall cappuccino, please" I said.

We laughed as I was led to the examining room.

The doctor did whatever he did and the result was yet another correction to the prescription.  When we were done, I asked whether I will be able to play the violin with the new lenses on.  "It depends on whether you knew how to play it before" came the response in a hurry.  We laughed, fully knowing that this is not the first time either one has toyed with any variation of this joke.

While passing the front desk, on the way to the frame/lens person, the receptionist asked me "so, will we see you again, or should we visit with you at your work place?"

"I guess you folks like me so much that you are calling me here every few days." I added, "now, I feel like we are family.  Thanks for including me in your will so that I will inherit your money."

As always in the easy small talk, her response was immediate and funny. "Yes, you can have the dog."

With a smile I reached the lens person.  "I asked the doc whether I will be able to play the violin after this" I said.

She smiled big time ready for the exchange.  "What did he say?"

"That it depended on whether or not I knew how to play the violin."

"I suppose everyone is all too familiar with this cliched joke" I added.

She laughed.

Next time, I will ask about playing the cello instead ;)