Life Is Funny

As evening fell, the story-teller failed to show,

so I took his usual seat by the fire and began.

Come my children, large and small

I’ll tell you a tale; it’s a true one for y’all.

The story I am about to tell you is true.  Even the names are as real as I can remember.

I had to work all of the time that I was going to college.  I held down a job at Kroger’s Grocery in Donaldson, which meant I had to attend summer school in order to keep up with the required number of hours I needed so I could graduate in four years, and stay on plan. 

During the summer after my sophomore year, I had a summer roommate named David Digby.  He was a nice guy and a good guitar player as I recall. 

Seems that we did a bit of swimming that summer in local motels near the campus, and since I did not have my own swim trunks David and I thought nothing of sharing his extra swim trunks.  

Now, you must remember that I was an innocent college sophomore and I was not aware of some certain health issues that were prevalent at the time. 

After a few times of sharing his swim trunks I developed a pretty serious case of jock itch.  

Someone told me about a spray-on treatment called Cruex that could be bought at any local drug store.

Soon after hearing of this miracle cure I went into a local drug store and meekly walked up to a male clerk who was stocking a shelf with aspirin.  I was trying to ask quietly for this Cruex, only I kept pronouncing it ‘Krux’.  The clerk had no idea what I was looking for. 

When he asked what it was for, I told him for jock itch.  He then proceeded to yell out, loudly, to a clerk three aisles away.

 “Harry, do you know where the Cruex is?” 

Harry yelled back, “Cruex?  What’s that?”

My clerk friend yelled back, a bit more loudly than necessary, “It’s for jock itch.”

I was about to die from embarrassment.  Here I was, trying to be discreet and these two clowns were telling all within the store my most embarrassing ailment. 

I was pointed in the right direction for Cruex, began using it and my rash cleared up.  What a funny story.

“And what redeeming value is there to this story” you might ask.

Great question. 

It is perhaps this … life can be funny

sometimes.  There is no great moral to draw upon here. There is no lesson of note to hear except “don’t wear someone else’s swim trunks.”

Really, it’s a moment for laughter.  It brings a smile to my face.  As I related this story to Carolyn tonight, we were laughing out loud 

That is all there is.  Laugh.  I was innocent.  I was a dumb sophomore in college.  I lived for the moment, and in those moments I simply wanted to go swimming and didn’t want to swim in the buff.

If you can find humor here, laugh out loud. 

Now, tell me one of your more embarrassing moments.

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