I watched a couple of episodes of The Carol Burnett Show this afternoon, but either I'm not in the mood for slapstick or my sense of humor has changed. I didn't find them as funny as I used to. I've always been a big fan of slapstick, people using physical comedy to be goofy and silly. Doug not so much. I think we've been married so long now that we're starting to switch behaviors. Last night when we were getting ready to go to the softball game, he wanted to clean up the kitchen first while I wanted to get on the road. I mentioned how much each of us has become more like the other, and how he used to get frustrated when I wanted to clean up the house before we left for a weekend while he just wanted to get going. He said, "Yes, Dear, you've become the free spirit, and I've become the nerd." I responded, "I was never a nerd." Mom used to say that she and Dad had swapped roles too. When she was young, she said she was usually the one cracking jokes, being the "life of the party" while Dad, when he was younger, was more reserved. By the time I came along, however, Dad was the one w/ the witty sarcasm while Mom took a backseat. I guess it's natural, and I like being a free spirit, but I got a lot more accomplished when I was a nerd!
The theme song that Carol sang every night at the end of here show was, "I'm so glad we had this time together, just to have a laugh or sing a song. Seems we just get started and before you know it, comes the time we have to say, 'So long.'" And then she tugged on her left ear as a silent tribute to her deceased aunt, or at least that's what I always thought. I think maybe she mentioned that in one of her shows, or maybe I made it up. That song always had a melancholy tone b/c it was the end of the show, and I was sad that I had to wait another week. Now I can watch those shows whenever I want, but listening to that song makes me even more sad b/c it reminds me of Mom. I am very happy that I had 45 years w/ her. We certainly did a lot of laughing over silly stuff and sang lots of songs while I played the piano. But it seems like we were just getting life underway, and then all of a sudden it's over, and we're saying our good-bye's......forever. It would be great if this was just one of Carol's gags, and the punchline would be that Mom had just died laughing and not literally.
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